


Hyoutei's First Date

by TheAnimeFanWriter345



Series: Hyotei's First Date [1]
Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-10
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-03-22 04:11:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 45
Words: 211,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3714523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAnimeFanWriter345/pseuds/TheAnimeFanWriter345
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?</p>
<p>Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.</p>
<p>I am writing this fanfiction that is inspired by Psiten's story entitled The Rules Saga because we are going to be using creativity in order to make this a good story. I expect some positive reviews since it's been 4 years after writing a novel. I am back now to finish what I started.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Date

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Rules Saga](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/108424) by Psiten. 



[The Date]

It was just like any other day at Hyoutei academy and students were going about their business. But for Keigo atobe, he started thinking about how attractive Ryoma really was and decided that this would be a good chance for them to get to know each other better. Soon, a flash of lights starts flickering in his head and it was time for him to set up a date with Ryoma. Furthermore, this was his chance to go after him because the kid could be his one-way ticket for love because he seems to care about Ryoma a lot. However, everyone else had no idea what was about to go down, especially Gakuto since he was starting to suspect something was up with their captain.

Elsewhere, Oshitari watched as the lights appeared above his captain's head and went to see what was happening since he has no idea why the diva captain is acting like this.

"What is up with you today, Keigo-sama?" asked Oshitari

"I am starting to have a crush on someone from Seigaku. Furthermore, I got something bigger planned for that kid." grinned Atobe.

"You mean Echizen Ryoma? Are you seriously thinking about hitting on him? Dude, are you for real?" asked Oshitari.

"Yes, but that kid thinks I am attractive and therefore, I expect that he will start falling in love with me in exactly two years from now." continued Atobe.

Oshitari looked at his captain with a sigh of disappointment and said, "Echizen is way too young for you right now because he cannot possibly be your type. Furthermore, I want to compare your age with him and you can clearly see that he is thirteen and you're fifteen. So, there is no possible way that he will be your type."

"Of course he is my type, you just don't know it yet. So, I will bet on it right now and if this pays off, Ryoma has to stay here at our school while you and Gakuto will be sacrificing some of that hair from your heads." said Atobe.

"Are you serious!? How about if Ryoma gets to decide which one of us he will be sleeping with while dating you blindfolded, maybe then we will let him join our school?" said oshitari.

"Wonderful! That's settled then." smiled Atobe as he patted his teammate's back for a well-made decision since he is now out on a mission to make Ryoma his true lover for life.

Oh boy, Oshitari could swear that his captain has started scheming for love. However, Ryoma was just an ordinary kid that didn't even understand what love meant to him and this was the first time that he will be meeting Atobe for a one-on-one date. How did Atobe even know the brat when he never met him personally? Soon, Oshitari could see that his captain sent his lover a text.

"Dear Echizen, please meet with me after school because I have feelings towards you. Just think of this as a date between us in order to get to know each other better. Will see you soon in the grounds of Hyoutei Academy."

Atobe.

Ryoma was confused at the text and wondered why the captain of Hyoutei started finding him so attractive?

Elsewhere, Oishi and Eiji were practicing their tennis serves when ryoma approached them.

"What is it, ochibi?" asked Eiji

"Looks like the captain of Hyoutei Academy has planned something for me." said Ryoma.

As eiji and Oishi read the note on Ryoma's phone, both of them broke into stifles of laughter and started hugging Ryoma tightly.

"Aww, our little ochibi has a boyfriend! Who are you dating?" asked Eiji.

"I can only assume he is dating the narcissistic captain from Hyoutei, Keigo Atobe. But why would he plan something like this?" wondered Oishi.

"For real? Are you kidding me? Atobe started hitting on our Echizen?" yelled Kikumaru.

"Not so loud! Everyone else will hear us!" boomed Oishi as he tried to cover his partner's mouth. Unfortunately for them, Momo and the others heard every single word about Keigo dating Ryoma and they rushed over to hug the short-pants kid.

"Why am I dating Atobe? this cannot be real!" shouted Ryoma.

"I think Atobe has made up his mind and he thinks you are attractive towards him." smiled Fuji.

"No way! That's impossible! Well, I guess I better check this out and see what is going on." said Ryoma as he left in a hurry with his tennis equipment.

Oshitari on the other hand had seen the note that his captain sent towards the kid and started laughing. Furthermore, there was no way to stop the Hyoutei captain from pursuing Ryoma. Furthermore, it seems that the captain really had a thing for the seigaku prince despite the rumors flying around. Even though Ryoma and Atobe were close friends, every single school still thinks that he was a girl, but Ryoma dismisses this controversy since he and Atobe are just friends with a thing for tennis.

"You got to be kidding me! Since when did you start having a thing for that Seigaku brat?" asked Gakuto.

"Please! Me and that brat have known each other since elementary school. So just think of it as my way to express my true feelings for that kid." grinned atobe.

"But you don't even know if he has any feelings for you! How can you be sure he will accept your invitation?" Gakuto was not even sure where Atobe was going with this.

"Don't worry, you will understand once our date begins, anh?" He patted the back of his teammate and reassured him that everything was going according to plan.

Soon, Atobe could hear the slaps of sneakers coming up the stairs as he rushed outside, he could see a blonde-haired kid walking in the room.

"Looks like someone else is planning to vote for me," Atobe thought to himself.

Once Kevin bursts inside the door, he walked straight to Atobe and asked him, "Is it really true that you are dating Echizen Ryoma? Because I heard a lot of people telling me that you guys are going out on a date. Have you really turned Ryoma into a girl?

"Oh please, whoever told you that we were dating? It's just mutual friendship; nothing is going on between me and Echizen since I am looking out for his well-being." Unfortunately, Kevin wasn't buying it.

"Ryoma, tell me this isn't really happening, are you seriously falling for atobe?"

"Why would I? We just started seeing each other on a daily basis not too long ago and so we just want to have some fun time and I would not count that as a date. Besides, if I wanted to date a girl, none of them would be interested in me. And even if I do go back to Seigaku, coach Ryuzaki would tell me those girls will drive me insane asking me for autographs and whatnot. Besides, Atobe still feels that this bet that he proposed will pay off and this date will actually give me a chance to you know interact with girls who are my type later on."

"Give me a break! You are just too shy to talk to girls and you always reject Sakuno Ryuzaki's foods. Now what did you do to win over that freaking loud-mouthed peacock boyfriend of yours his affections? You guys have been following each other day in and day out. I don't know what has been going on inside that head of yours, but I think its time you tell us everything. Also what is that in your bag?" asked Kevin as he rummaged through the kid's bag.

Even Oshitari and Atobe were also curious as to what was hidden inside Echizen's bag as well. As Kevin opened it, he got the shock of his life and tried to control his laughter after seeing flowers in the bag. Even Oshitari couldn't believe his eyes.

"Shit! I knew this would happen! Its official, Echizen is now officially falling for Atobe! Awww! How sweet of him. Why didn't Shiranishi ever send me flowers?

Flashback

Nanjiro handed his son a box and said "In honor of my son's first date, I humbly present you with this."

"Ta da!"

Ryoma was even shocked seeing this stuff, "Dad, you bought me flowers? I don't even know what my date will say when he sees this!" he yelled.

"Nonsense! When I was your age, I was being held captive as a prisoner of love. This present is to get your pulse filled with excitement and having passion."

"Well thanks But I don't know what my so called date will think once he gets these!"

End Flashback.

The students at Seigaku had seen what was happening on the screen and Kikumaru had been trying not to laugh, especially Oishi.

"So, it really is true. Echizen is going to go out with Atobe thanks to the flowers that his father gave him on his birthday. God Almighty! He is going to be picking up a lot of girls later on." Oishi was red in the face while kaido and Momo were laughing like maniacs.

"Looks like the kid is dead serious on his relationship with the king of Hyoutei. If my calculations are correct, I think he is about 75 percent sure about how to present flowers to his lover."

"How can you be so sure? Ryoma would never have accepted that present from his old man. He still would need to wait several more years before understanding what true love means to him. I think I need to contact Sanada and Shiraishi on the phone because everyone could hit the roof with what I am about to tell them."

And with that, Oishi grabbed his phone and dialed furiously in order to get a hold of the emperor and the Perfect Tennis master. However, not even Ryoma knows how this date will end with them getting involved.

~/~

"I guess I cannot hide it for much longer now."

The entire student body of Hyoutei Academy had gone dead silent with shocked looks on everyone's faces, especially Gakuto, Shishido, and Choutaro. Ryoma's face was starting to turn bright right with embarrassment as he hid behind Oshitari without a word. Even Atobe was at a loss for words while Kabaji had a blank stare on his face.

"Well, well, what do we have here? Looks like someone is going all out on his sex life with your crazy loon of a boyfriend. Tell me, where did you get this from? And don't make excuses! You got some explaining to do, two-timing bastard!"

This time, Ryoma's best friend had approached him with a look of seriousness in his face because he was not about to let the legendary prince get off the hook this time. Even choutaro and Shishido couldn't contain their laughter anymore as they fell to the ground. As for Makuhi, he could only groan at the sight of Ryoma's new present while settling down along the wall with Oshitari following suit.

"Oh shit! Looks like the samurai lord has poisoned Echizen's mind, forcing him to date our captain. We feel for you, kiddo, but are you sure you want to go through with this? I think this delusion of grandeur has really screwed up Atobe's head big time. But whatever happens, good luck with the date, Echizen."

"Would you believe that my old man gave me that as a present to boost my sexual passion? I don't know what my father was thinking giving such an unwanted present to me so I decided to hide it. If you really want to know, I am not actually dating Atobe, we are just best friends and we like to hang out with each other because that's what bros do. And even though-"

"You guys are not dating, but your idiotic father has to make you send these flowers to your new man? Dude, I never realized you had a thing for a guy, but this is just too much! Soon, everyone will think you are a girl wearing a wedding dress."

"Tsch! don't remind me! Atobe really is planning to use Shakespearean love poetry to ensure that I am the one he is looking for. But for now, this is only temporary."

"Relax Echizen! The flowers are perfect for my taste, and thank you! I am sure that sadist Fuji and his lover yukimura wanted me to plant these at my villa later on. I will be sure to thank them after this is over."

Choutaro head was flushing bright red for a few minutes since he didn't want to get involved in that embarrassment and decides to return to practice with Ryo, who was still laughing like a maniac. Jirou on the other hand, wasn't sure where Atobe was going with this whole love scheme but decided not to interfere. Furthermore, Oshitari and Gakuto had the looks of "Oh Shit!" on their faces.

"Dear god, Echizen had finally learned how to treat love as a professional conduct. Either Nanjiro is truly off his rocker, or everyone here has become truly insane!"

Kevin was ready to give up at that point and decided that he must stay here for a bit longer to see how this will turn out since he does not want the front page headlines to ruin the reputation of famous tennis players here in Japan.

That night, after practice was over, Echizen was heading home that night when Atobe showed up.

"I think you need to come home with me because staying by yourself with that old man will not make things any easier for you. You do remember how he tried to come at me with a tennis match right?"

"Yeah, my old man does not know what goes through his head sometimes, but why tonight though?" Ryoma was confused at Atobe's strange request.

"For your own safety, I don't want you going to bed alone since you know what sort of trouble your father can give to me. Therefore, it is my duty to see that you get back into the comfort zone tonight because only I can comfort you with my passions of love!"

Ryoma groaned at the sound of that remark. "Whatever works with you." And he headed off into Atobe's car straight into his mansion. Once they arrived. Ryoma was surprised by the amount of paintings that were decorated wall to wall since many of them were delicate and exquisite. This fascinated him since he had studied about art stuff back in America.

"So fascinating! Van Gogh, Monet, Degas, Dali… Are you an art collector?"

"I see you have been up to date on those famous painters, Echizen Ryoma. I'm quite impressed. Yes, these paintings were actually gifts for me when I graduated from elementary school and I've cherished them since then and to me, art has been my life and I think of it as poetry."

So this was part of his plan, to invite the little brat back to his house so they can have some time alone. This is where the date gets even more interesting. Furthermore, Atobe's plan seems to be in motion now that they are alone together in the mansion. Elsewhere, Oshitari, Oishi, and Kikumaru were in shock and awe after seeing Atobe alone with Ryoma on the television screen in front of them.

"It seems that the diva captain has officially lost it. He just took Ryoma inside his house and now they are going to spend time together in bed. Holy shit, this is going to be fucked up! I don't believe this!"

"No wonder O'chibi has a thing for Atobe, he just does not want to admit it. Well, tonight we're going to see if that brat can confess his true feelings for that delusional diva."

While in the house, Ryoma studied the entire house from room to room and figures that this place must be worth millions since Atobe's family are so rich. No wonder everyone at Hyoutei academy had so much respect for this man since he had high regards for the tennis club at school.

"My dad has been working overseas a lot on business so that's why he has cherished this house since moving in and I think you must have been delighted seeing it. I trust that your time here will be well-spent?"

"Of course, thanks again for inviting me here, but my question is, why so soon?"

"I am going to make sure that you confess your true feelings for me tonight in bed so that you don't chicken out. Furthermore, for the nbext, I want to see how much time I can spend with you before I reveal the secrets of Oshitari's life." Ryoma suddenly feels that something was up with Atobe the minute he got here, but he decided that now would be a good chance to spend quality time with his so called lover tonight.

"Okay, monkey king. I don't know what you are trying to do to me, but should anyone else know about this?"

Atobe suddenly picked up the kid and held him by the waist while holding him tightly by his waist. Ryoma tried his best to let loose, but he was stuck by the embrace of the captain.

"Brat! You will refer to me as the king! This is a test of our true love and I don't care if you are scared or not. The confession will start at eleven o'clock so be prepared! I promise that you will not be violated. Don't hold anything back!" commanded Atobe.

Once dinner started, Ryoma could hear some classical music playing in the background since this is the first time that the brat ever shared a romantic dinner with his boyfriend because after all the practice he did with tennis, he was ready for a relaxing evening. Unfortunately, Ryoma could see that evil grin on Atobe's face and realizes that he is in for a bigger surprise later.

"This is a romantic evening, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes, but what's the occasion?"

"You of course, you are my masterpiece and it is my job to see that you will be protected at all costs."

"Okay, but you are missing the point, it's not like I will need bodyguards to escort me to school or anything. This is a mansion, not a mental hospital. What am I, your prisoner of love?" Ryoma was confused as to why Atobe would mention those things earlier.

"I call it as I see fit. My proposal still stands and as long as you are my love, we will spend an eternity together as lovers and brothers. We share a common bond together and nothing will tear us apart ever again!"

Ryoma was shaking his head in despair and answered, "You really are crazy! I think I can survive tonight confessing to you my true reasons for coming here."

"You are on! If those feelings are true, then this date will continue as planned. Now, it's time that we showered together, want me to wash your back?"

"Thanks, but I can handle it." Ryoma walked off towards the bathroom in order to calm himself down since he had no idea of the kind of hell that Atobe is putting him through right now. If anyone else sees this, they could make echizen run several laps around the courts or put him in a front page newspaper and title it "Sexiest Tennis Prodigy Alive" However, Echizen would be embarrassed by every single school that he faced throughout Japan. Soon, Echizen could hear Atobe coming into the bathroom with his bathrobe, shampoo, and soap. At that moment, Echizen knew this was not going to end well.

"What the hell? You can't be in here while I am showering!"

"Yes I can, and as your big brother, I will be washing your entire body so don't worry!"

"But I can wash myself and prevent the bad smell from staying in the house, why are you babying me?" protested Ryoma.

"Because this is the first test of our true love. Now stop your whining and hold still!" At this point, Ryoma's face was turning bright red with the sight of Atobe behind him. Furthermore, he even activated the video camera right beside the window since this will be a good time to be on TV together.

"What the hell are you doing? Are you filming us taking a shower together? EEEEEEK! This wasn't a part of the deal!" Shrieked Ryoma

"No one will notice but us, now come closer. At that point, Atobe was ready to give ryoma his very first kiss on the forehead, causing the short kid to cringe in fear. Once the mouth was on his head, Ryoma was a bit confused as to what just happened, but decided to play along anyway. Once it was over, Ryoma couldn't believe what just happened and had a bright red look on his face. Atobe couldn't help but laugh at the kid.

"You really are crazy, what will Oshitari and the others say when they find out about this?"

"I could care less what they think. It's for your own good." Said atobe while cracking a smile.

"You're a dick, you know that?" Ryoma snorted as he headed towards the bedroom, but no sooner than that, he could feel his body being lifted up by Atobe.

"What are you doing? Put me down, I can easily walk."

"Don't be silly, you cheeky brat!" He then called kabaji over to carry the kid into Atobe's bedroom since his bed was a bit larger than Ryoma's back home. To his surprise, the Hyoutei captain had exotic photos of himself sprawled all over the wall. "That monkey king thinks he is so popular eh? Well, we will just see about that." Echizen thought to himself as Kabaji placed him on the bed while tucking him in before leaving.

"Thanks, Mr. Speechless man."

Kabaji just nodded a 'You're welcome' without saying anything else. Once in bed, Ryoma took out one of the Tennis Monthly magazines and decides to read a little bit before sleeping. Soon, he found himself in a nice comfortable environment because Atobe had a lot of rooms in this giant mansion since it does remind him of the White House in Washington D.C. So at this rate, he seemed to be getting used to this place now. Soon, Atobe arrived and settled himself next to Echizen in the bed.

"Atobe! What…." Ryoma couldn't even force himself to speak.

"Does it make you feel better with me next to you? With you in my room, we can finally have that heart to heart talk."

"Sure, anything but the date thing." Atobe somehow ignored that part and held the kid tightly with his embrace. Ryoma never felt anything like this before and was fully relaxed afterwards.

"Atobe?"

"Yes?"

"I think this first night here did turn out to be successful, didn't it?" Ryoma had a smile on his face.

"Didn't I tell you that you got nothing to worry about? As long as I am at your side, we will never leave each other and we share a bond of love together. Relax, you will understand it soon as the date progresses,"

"I told you that we're just friends, not lovers!" Ryoma snapped.

"Oh really? I think love is in the air for us, and also, would you like to take this time to date me?" Answered Atobe.

"Don't count on it." said Ryoma. 

"We shall see about that. As I have told you, a date is a date no matter what the others might say and we will be having a great time together as friends and lovers. And also, you will have to sleep over with each one of my teammates as well as a part of our agreement." continued Atobe. "yeah right! what will their parents say?" boasted Ryoma. "Don't worry, I already sent them a text saying that you will be dropping by." And they both fell fast asleep. Furthermore, the only ones that are worried were the students from other schools. I wonder what Ryoma could tell them?


	2. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.
> 
> I am writing this fanfiction that is inspired by Psiten's story entitled The Rules Saga because we are going to be using creativity in order to make this a good story. I expect some positive reviews since it's been 4 years after writing a novel. I am back now to finish what I started.

[The Truth]

By the next morning, Ryoma was already up getting ready to start his new day with jogging and exercising his body. He even had a chance to walk Atobe's Afghan Hound around the yard and the mansion courtyard before breakfast.

"Good morning gentlemen!" Ryoma took a seat at the breakfast table since he has the usual stuff: cereal with milk, juice, and French toast.

"Ah Good morning Ryoma, did you sleep well last night?" said the butler.

"It was fantastic. I feel like I must be dreaming. But yeah, as long as I don't have to worry about that delusional freak snoring in his sleep lastnight, I can handle it."

"Oh really? Just because you passed the test doesn't mean you can get off that easy, you cheeky brat!" Ryoma knew that Atobe was onto him as he sat down next to the short kid.

"Have you really decided not to give up on me? I told you, we are not lovers!"

"There are plenty of ways for me to win your heart, you little baby. And you will start by going to every single school and tell everyone what went on last night between us. I want them to ensure that my bet will pay off in the end. Besides, they need to know the truth about our relationship"

"Why? Don't you want to keep this between us? We can't let the others find out about this!" Ryoma was embarrassed after hearing those words from Atobe.

Meanwhile back at the mansion  
"I can't tell you about the person that I am falling in love with." said Ryoma.

Why not? Ryoma, you should know better than to keep this rumor from everyone else! Why must you not spill the beans about your sexual relationship with that loudmouthed peacock?" sid Sebastian.

"Why not? Oshitari-sempai knows that he cannot defeat me with his ways of understanding what love means. Now, where is my coffee?"

"Here you go, monkey King!" Ryoma stood up and took the cup from the tray and sat it down in front of Atobe.

"That's Mr. King Atobe to you! But thank you, Ryoma. What's your plan for today?"

"Well, my phone has been littered with tons of messages from Shitenhouji Tennis club. It appears that Shiranishi and that annoying little brat Kintaro wants a little practice match with me. I cannot reject their request so I probably should head over there in about an hour." 

Once Ryoma finished his breakfast, he grabbed his tennis bag and stuffed the Trojan inside one of the pockets in order to prevent anyone from finding out what that brat was up to. Once everything was packed, it was almost 7:45 since Ryoma cannot be late for tennis practice. Soon, Atobe followed him out the door because he knows the way to Osaka pretty well.

"Wait up; I can give you a ride to Shitenhouji because I have been there myself." said Atobe.

"Really? How do you know that?"

"A King never reveals his secrets to a kid, but I heard that Kenya has stopped by at our school talking with Yuushi about how attractive I am towards you. I sometimes wonder why that speedster idiot can't keep his nose out of my personal love life. But no matter, even if you are unable to spill the beans, just do your best to tell them your feelings towards me."

"Tch! Monkey King, how many times must I say we are just friends, and not lovers? It's not like I will instantly confess my love towards you. As long as we stick to our favorite sport, that's all that matters." 

"You know I still have a heart right? It's as warm as the Pacific Ocean."

Ryoma could only groan at Atobe and chided, "You are a delusional jackass, you know that?"

Atobe only gave him a smug as he prepped the car. Once Ryoma got in, he was surprised that the car was completely cleaned from the mess that the guys from St. Rudolph had left behind previously since the diva king likes his car spotless. Furthermore, even Atobe's family wants the same with their vehicles. The whole ride to Osaka didn't even take more than 40 minutes since the whole Shitenhouji team are dying to hear Ryoma's little fantasy last night with the insane diva. Elsewhere, Yuushi, Gakuto, and Shishido are planning to see what Echizen is really up to here in Osaka. Their faces tells them that something has happened at Atobe's villa last night and it would be up to them to put a stop to this before it gets out of hand.

Once Ryoma was dropped off in front of the school, Atobe looked back and asked him, "If you have time, we should go to the amusement park together when you are free."

"We will see about that." Ryoma waved back without saying a word.

"Atobe really has true feelings for that short pants brat, but even Echizen can't admit it. I kind of felt sorry for that poor kid. But Atobe might have gone a bit too far. Even I am still pissed at the box of chocolates that the kid received on Valentine's Day." added Shishido.

"True, Atobe has spent too much of his time reading romance novels and watching love movies on television without even thinking about reality. I think the time that he spent with Echizen tells me that he is really showing his true affectionate side towards that Seigaku Prince. Sometimes I don't know what goes through his brain sometimes. If Echizen had dated someone else other than Atobe, maybe my doubles partner will be a perfect match for him!"

"Pow!" "Bam!"

Shishido could see that Yuuishi had whacked Gakuto on the head and he couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Oshitari! What the hell was that for?" whined Gakuto as he rubbed his sore head.

"Don't even go there ,Gakuto! if I wanted to date him, it would be unwise and furthermore, I could care less about dating. Now, quit your whining and let's see what Echizen is really hiding. But on the other hand, maybe I could let him over at my house and have my family teach him a thing or two on picking up women."

"Dude, seriously? Now you are in on this as well? I thought you were not that kid's type?" stated Shishido.

"Yes, but now I want to see if that kid can really prove himself worthy of dating people. I guess we will be monitoring his progress from time to time." finished Yuushi.

As the three of them peered from behind the bushes, they could see Echizen knocking on the door of the Shitenhouji school. As the door opened, Shiraishi could see a familiar face outside and decided to take him into the tennis courts. Furthermore, the kid could see the other members watching the non-regulars working on their serves and waved at them. As the gang turned, they could see Ryoma coming towards them and they rushed forward to shake his hand.

"Echizen Ryoma, delighted to see you! Come on in!"

"Thanks, but what's the deal, why did you call me here?" asked Ryoma. But before he could get a response, Kintaro rushed up towards Ryoma and hugged him tightly. Before everyone knew it, Ryoma felt that he was being tightly squeezed.

"Kintaro, it is good to see you too, but can you please release me? You are choking me!"

"Sorry Koshimae! But it is still really great to see you again since you've been away for such a long time. Now, we heard that you and atobe were-"

"Dating? No, never going to happen, I just wanted to ask him for a match, but he insists that I hang out with him each week instead of playing tennis. I just feel that he might be taking this love thing a little too far. Yes, he still thinks I am in love with him, but he won't listen to me."

"You are hiding something from us and you are not going to keep it for long. Spill it, Ryoma." said Shiraishi.

What? Then why did you hang out with that loud-mouthed peacock at his villa? You know he is not going to give up on you until everything has been resolved! What are you trying to hide?

"So what happened last night at your so called boyfriend's place?" asked Kenya.

"Well, Atobe invited me to his villa to hang out with him. At first I wanted to refuse, but he insisted on letting me staying at his place for the night. Not only that, he had his staff make dinner for me and now he and I showered together in the bathroom. In other words, he bathed me thoroughly as well. God, I am being treated like a kid at his home. I could swear that he is going crazy."

Everyone had shocked looks on their faces, especially Kenya who collapsed on the ground with laughter, along with yuji and Koharu. Even Shiraishi couldn't help but snicker at the kid for being a good sport about it. Furthermore, Gakuto and Shishido couldn't even believe what Echizen had said.

"Well, good on you, Koshimae! Looks like Atobe has started to develop great interest in you now. When are you guys getting married?" asked Kintaro.

Ryoma couldn't believe at what he just heard. "Marriage!? What are you talking about, jungle boy? Me and Atobe are just starting to get to know each other and there is no way we are getting married. Besides, it's our first date together and we haven't said anything about marrying each other yet."

"Oh really? From what you've told us, Atobe has his eyes on you the entire time when you were sleeping with him last night. So what else did he do, bathe you?" said Koharu.

"Yes, he did do that, but I told him I could handle the whole thing and he insisted on helping me." said Ryoma with a look of embarrassment on his face.

"Holy shit! Looks like your little love affair is just beginning to bloom. Our congratulations to you on starting a love life with that diva." said Chitose as he shook the kid's hand.

Elsewhere in the lab, the guys from Hyoutei nearly fell to the floor at what they just heard from Ryoma. Even Shishido was seething in anger since he was ready to give their captain a piece of his mind while Gakuto and Yuushi are bemused at the situation unfolding before them.

"I don't fucking believe this! Our perverted captain bathed that impertinent brat last night at his house? Now I know that Atobe is clearly out of his mind. That little kid could have backed out on the deal and went straight home, but now, Atobe forced Ryoma into his little sex game? God forbid, now I know why that kid told us that they are not on a date." Commented Shishido.

"That kid has already been entangled into a web of lies and he still managed to survive that first night with that deranged douche? What the hell has become of our captain? Did he really have sex with Ryoma last night? Okay, its official, Echizen is gay." 

"No kidding! I told Atobe to give up on his obsession with that kid, but he ignored me and went on to babble on about how "Oh, Echizen is like a flower that blooms in the spring, and with that, we are meant for each other since it just burns my core. At that instant, we are born to share love that would transcend the ages. He and I are going to fight together as rivals and as lovers; we will never be separated as long as we share the same word and the touches of our hands together." That is pure bullshit and he knows it. But would he ever listen to me? NO!" Yuushi was ready to smack Atobe across the face for his bad behavior, but at the same time, he felt sympathy for Echizen.

Elsewhere, Inui and the others at Seigaku turned on the monitor and they clearly heard that Atobe had bathed Ryoma last night at his mansion. The Golden pair and Momo had busted into laughter as well. Some of them couldn't understand why Atobe did such a thing to a kid that he found so attractive towards. To Yuushi, he couldn't understand either as he tried clear his head of those unpleasant images. "Dear god, what will take for you to understand that Echizen is not your type?"

~/~

Back at Shitenhouji, everyone stopped for a moment and stared at Ryoma before continuing to talk with him. They had shocked looks on their faces and couldn't even believe what Ryoma was telling them.

"No way! Did you seriously go to that freak's house? What if security caught you?" added Chitose.

"Nah, Atobe told them not to interfere in that so called date we were having, I mean, we were merely hanging out together just for a little one-on-one." Ryoma said with a smile on his face.

"So it's really true then, you are falling in love with that loud-mouthed diva, isn't that right Koshimae? You sly-devil. That one-on-one date proves to me that you are indeed falling for Atobe. Are you going on your honeymoon now?" smiled Kintaro as he rubbed Echizen's head.

"Kin-chan!" The others laughed at Kintaro's little joke. Shiraishi was about to give Kintaro a beating.

"We are not on our honeymoon, but I did enjoy his new mansion, however, it took me forever to find a room to crash for the night and my new friend, had Kabaji carry me into the master's bedroom and…

"Wow, for a thirteen year old, you sure know how to make love with a narcissistic, loud-mouthed freak. What did he do to you when you guys were in bed? I hope that you kept the condom out of that freak's sight." Said Gin.

"Oh, cut it out will you? I didn't get condoms, my old man gave me flowers! Anyway, if I went back to my own home, Atobe would not want me alone since he is always concerned for my safety. Furthermore, he wanted to see if I had the courage to show my true feelings for him. Even if I did, it was not a date and Atobe still thinks I am his girl. We mostly discussed about what true love really means and I mentioned that its time that the diva had searched for a girlfriend." Ryoma wasn't sure how to make this any clearer.

"He can easily reject a girl and still come after you, kid. Believe me, I tried following Tezuka around but he still refused my feelings for him. Still, like Tezuka, Atobe has to be really certain that you are his type. I always tried to tell Tezuka that I wanted him to be my date, but he said he is far too busy with recovery in Germany and does not have time for nonsense." Replied Chitose.

Ryoma was frowning "How much longer are these guys trying to entice me to date Atobe? I am here to practice tennis with them!" He thought to himself.

You just can't seem to back off from Atobe, can you? Looks like Atobe really has feelings for you, but you can't seem to share that same thing. Yet you still slept in bed with him. Just admit it, you really do love him dearly.

For the rest of the day, Ryoma spent his time practicing his serves with the Shitenhouji tennis club when his best friend Kevin showed up from America after Osamu showed him inside.

"So this is where I find you: Practicing tennis in Osaka. Tell me, how'd you do on your first night with Atobe?" asked Kevin.

"It was all right, like Atobe said, his dream was to make sure I belong to him, but right now, I am just hanging around his villa and doing some basic housework."

"Quit lying! I flew all the way over here and what do I see? Atobe trying to act all sweet on you and turning you into his Sugar daddy. Why can't you just get over him?"

"Tsch! Come on now, do you really believe that? Sure, this dating game is getting in his head, but he has to bend the rules and he couldn't really care if this was a date or not. He does not treat me like a school girl. If it turns out that he really has a thing for me, he is bratty like me." Ryoma couldn't resist laughing out loud at the sight of his friend.

"Ha ha! Very funny Echizen! We all know you are gay!"

"Where have I heard that before? All Atobe is doing is wanting to get to know me better." said Ryoma with a nervous smile.

"Yeah right! Do you realize that the diva freak is stalking you? Why won't you just admit it?" boomed Kevin

"Atobe has his own agenda." Said Oshitari as he popped out of the bushes.

Kevin could see that Echizen is not going to change his mind anytime soon. "So Echizen really is going forward with this date? Can't you guys stop him from letting this go any further?"

"Too late for that, blonde! It seems that the press is preparing to interview Echizen and Atobe later today. We cannot stop them from spreading this crazy rumor about these two lovebirds. And we were not actually spying on the brat. Even my cousin knows this kid better than anyone else. Yes, the rumors are flying around like crazy and now no one can stop that lunatic. He can't seem to leave Ryoma alone." Groaned Oshitari.

"My god, is Echizen on drugs or something? I think Atobe really doesn't know that he is making a jackass out of himself." Kevin could only wonder what else that deranged fool is planning next.

"Believe me, Atobe follows the brat almost everywhere he goes and now he has to go to an amusement park today. I can't even understand why he would choose that location for their next date. I can't let that fool treat echizen as if he was his favorite pet. But I am sure he wouldn't care how long the date will last. It just makes me want to confront him and scream 'For crying out loud, just back off from Ryoma already! Why do you keep getting obsessed with him, you pervert?' Seriously, I cannot let this embarrassment stain our school. This has gone far enough! Kevin, we might need your help." Replied Shishido as they all hovered together to stop this madness.

By the time practice was over, Ryoma boarded a train heading back to Tokyo. Once he arrived, he could see Atobe waiting for him. Elsewhere, Kevin and the others are watching from behind the benches to see what could happen here.

"So, how did practice go?" Atobe was rubbing Echizen's head.

"It went well, and I told them that we are just hanging out as friends, not dating each other. So, you want to get some ice cream before we head to the amusement park?"

Atobe was surprised that the kid would actually treat him to ice cream after long hours of practice, but he decided to agree to it anyway. "Sure, anything for you, O'Chibi!"

"Just what are they up to now? And when did Ryoma started treating Ice Cream for our captain? He's never done this before!" called Gakuto.

"Quiet! You will ruin their romantic time together!" shouted Oshitari as he tried to press the red-haired acrobat down.

"Ryoma, did you hear something?" asked Atobe.

"Nope, not a thing, But let's get going before we are spotted." Replied Ryoma as they tossed their cups into the trash can before leaving. Furthermore, Shishido and kevin were confused.

"What the fuck just happened back there?" he asked while in the control room.

"Apparently, they are just having a good time together as friends because they needed a break from tennis practice. I am sure Atobe has spent a lot of time working in the school classroom. So it appears that they just need time off. Furthermore, their coaches gave them permission to let the date continue. My data shows that 67.5 percent of the time, Echizen will show off his feelings towards Atobe." Said Inui.

"Really? if your data proves to be true, that kid could end up marrying that pedophile!" snorted Kevin.

"Don't worry, my assistant Renji has a back-up plan. Luckily, I still have this television monitor to observe their every move."

"You are one mad genius! Let me guess, Echizen is probably going to be drinking one of your special juices if the date fails, right?" Implied Shishido.

"How very observant of you! But just in case if something goes wrong or if that brat is not telling the truth about his lover, we will let him face the consequences with the juice." Said Renji.

"I wouldn't go anywhere near the juice because you know what will happen to us. Besides, I think Echizen will gladly sample the juice. Furthermore, I can't believe he wouldn't tell anyone else about what he has been doing with Atobe lately. If we had known sooner about those two lovebirds together, I would have stopped this, However, we cannot warn him since it is too late." added Oshitari.

It appears the truth has already spread towards other schools according to the newspaper article. Elsewhere in Rikkai, Sanada Genichirou was busy with his tennis practice when he got a hold of the paper and read it. He couldn't even believe a thing when he saw Echizen and Atobe's face on the front page and decided to talk to his captain.

"Buchou! You have got to see this! Atobe is dating Echizen Ryoma! Oh my god, what has happened to our Echizen?"

"Are you sure? Let me take a look at that." said Akaya as he browsed through the article before bursting into laughter. "You got to be kidding me! That brat is seriously dating a pompous, self-centered, diva from Hyoutei? I think it's time that we have a serious talk with that brat." Before long, rumors about them together are going to spread like wildfire because Atobe has turned into the biggest egotistic maniac on the planet since he has started to find the kid attractive, but Ryoma doesn't feel that the newspapers are telling the truth.

"Too late! I saw the article. That little bro is something else all together. I just can't believe that he has taken the first step towards romance. I must admit, this is the first time that I've seen anything like this and to me, there is no way the captain could be that serious about his intentions with Ryoma. I mean for all we know, they could be practicing tennis together." commented Yukimura.

"Did I hear you right? Ryoma is going out with Atobe? That is purely epic! Now, I will get to see a kid in action and I am looking forward to sharing some romance movies with him later on, puri!" added Niou.

"Romance movies? Did you steal Fuji's dvds on love?" asked Kirihara.

"Maybe I did, puri! Fuji tells me this is a good chance for me to date girls in the long run later on." added Niou.

"You!? dating that brat? You can't be serious, that kid is in his own little world now." laughed Akaya.

"Why not? You saw what the paper said and the truth is out. Furthermore, Atobe will ensure that he gets his wish in order to make this work. A spy of mine saw them at their house yesterday and reported the whole thing to me. Oh man! Some serious shit is about to go down!" continued Jackal.

As Sanada read the newspaper, he immediately grumbled under his breath and tossed the paper into the garbage can without reading it any further. "Atobe Keigo, what have you gotten yourself into now? You know that Ryoma isn't your type and now you have the audacity to date him? What kind of a sick joke are you playing?" he thought to himself as Yukimura immediately poured the vice-captain a cup of tea to calm him down. As he finished the tea, he immediately cleared his throat and said, "Buchou, I need to have a talk with Ryoma immediately, have him stop by at the Rikkaidai tennis courts."

"Why do you want to meet with that little cocky brother of ours?" asked Yukimura.

Sanada paused for a moment and wiped the sweat from his forehead before talking again. "I want him to tell his side of the story to us. Now get going!"

This date is going to get very interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: Looks like almost all the schools that Ryoma has faced off in the sport of tennis has found out about his date with Atobe. Furthermore, it seems that his lover has orchestrated a party for his lover and the other students. However, Ryoma still feels that he has a strong friendship with Atobe instead of calling it a date.
> 
> About the whole marriage thing, that will not work because Ryoma is far too young, but in this chapter, I decided to pretend that Atobe and Ryoma are married since you will hear about how he played a character in Romeo & Juliet in a later chapter.


	3. The Rumors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyoutei's First Date
> 
> By: NarutoandBleach
> 
> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.
> 
> I am writing this fanfiction that is inspired by Psiten's story entitled The Rules Saga because we are going to be using creativity in order to make this a good story. I expect some positive reviews since it's been 4 years after writing a novel. I am back now to finish what I started.

With all of the schools getting wind of Atobe and Ryoma together, even Seigaku and Fudomine started making preparations for these two lovebirds since they had no idea that the kid was becoming so infatuated with a popular student from Hyoutei. Even academy feels that this whole thing was a hoax, but it turns out that this was no laughing matter as yuuta and Mizuki started making phone calls to everyone else regarding the love scheme. Furthermore, Yukimura cancelled practice for the rest of the day in order to get front row seats for this theatrical performance while Kippei and his teammates rushed towards the control room to get a better understanding of the situation unfolding since they have never seen anything like this happening here in Japan. Meanwhile, Fuji was watching with interest while talking with his brother since he was certain that Ryoma will succeed on his quest for love.

Elsewhere, Sengoku and Minami had just left the cinema when they got a call from their coach on the phone. Once they hear about the love affair between Ryoma and Atobe, they immediately rushed back to school in order to prepare gifts and cards for those two love birds since this could be the wedding of the century.

"Atobe and Ryoma are dating? Is this some kind of a joke?" asked Minami.

"No joke, I just saw them last night sleeping together. Lucky Echizen! This is his time to shine. I knew he had the guts to date Atobe so ia m excited to see how this turns out." said an excited Sengoku.

"Seriously, you are supporting that kid? What is wrong with you?" said Minami indignantly.

"I like to see how their relationship will turn out." laughed Sengoku.As the guys from Yamabuki continued walking on the streets, they are met with Tachibana and Kamio from Fudomine since they read the newspaper already.

"Can you believe this!? Ryoma is really falling for Atobe? How is that even possible?" said Kamio.

"Yeah I know, right? Atobe is 3 years his senior since he is fourteen. Ryoma is far too young for him." added Tachibana.

"But Atobe has already made up his mind and will not rest until he makes the date official with that brat." agreed Minami.

"Okay, I am going to call up Oishi because I think he can explain this." said Tachibana as he took out his phone.

Back at Seigaku, the regulars were just about ready to head home when Oishi's phone rang, it was Tachibana. As he picked it up, he answered, "Hello, Oishi here."

"Oishi, hey its Kippei from Fudomine. Listen, I know this is a bad time for me to tell you this, but I think Ryoma is falling in love with Atobe from Hyotei and they are entangled in a romantic relationship together." said Kippei.

"Excuse me? Where are you hearing that from? That can't be right! Ryoma cannot be dating a diva from Hyotei." added Oishi. Not wanting to act so nervous, he realized that the rumors are spreading like wildfire and there was no time to hide it now because the lovebirds have already made their date official.

"It's true, Sengoku and minami got word of this and they have seen the two lovebirds sleeping together in bed at the mansion last night." continued Tachibana.

"Are you serious? My god! Looks like Atobe has lost his mind. But I think we can talk to Ryoma about this soon since he owes us a lot of explanations." smiled Oishi.

"This is not a joke. Do your best to get him to tell the truth." finished Tachibana as he hung up the phone.

~/~

Somewhere in the amusement park...

"Atobe, why did you suddenly have an interest in me? In other words, what do you see in me?" asked Ryoma.

"I beg your pardon? A king has to spend time with a little pipsqueak like you! What kind of question was that? You don't want to be all by yourself, do you? This is my way of showing you my destiny of being together with you, no matter how long that takes. And I am sure when that day comes, you and I will be a perfect couple. The only reason why I am interested in you is because there is something about you that made me attracted to you. I love you dearly." Grinned Atobe.

"Seriously, we are not a couple! I came here to have a good time and plus, what makes you so sure that I will be yours?" grumbled Ryoma.

"See! I knew you were in denial! You are too young to understand what true love means! No wonder you haven't showed any feelings towards Sakuno Ryuzaki when she gave you some foods to try out." 

"What does Sakuno have to do with any of this? I told you, I never would reject her favorite foods that she makes because that annoying brat Kin-chan always steals it from me without permission. Speaking of foods, I am getting kind of hungry. What are we going to eat for lunch?" Atobe could see that the taste of food wants Ryoma to feel more energized about the date.

"Sure, anything for you! How about something that will make your body strong like say, Korean food?"

"Whatever works for both of us as long as there are soups involved, I will eat just about anything to stay healthy and strong. Just to make sure that I have enough to cover for the tab and—"

"Kid, I got this, ore-sama will treat you to the finest foods here in the amusement park. So hold your money!" Ryoma was surprised that his date was acting like a true gentleman. But really, how rich is this guy? Does he spend money on just about everything that he needs to keep himself occupied? But still though, the kid was lucky to even spend time with this rich douche or else Fuji would have set up a matchmaking deal with his brother Yuuta.

Elsewhere, Mizuki and Yanagisawa are watching this all unfold at the amusement park since it was their day off as well. Once arriving they are shocked to see Echizen and Atobe together having lunch.

"Look at that, Mizuki-sempai! That conceited brat is dating a loud-mouthed prick from Hyoutei. Can you imagine them being a couple?" chided Yanagisawa.

Mizuki was twirling his hair wondering how the rich king of Hyoutei Academy became obsessed with a kid from Seigaku? This just doesn't add up.

"Duck boy, I don't see them as a couple, but I do believe that they are actually dating each other. Wait a minute! Don't tell me that atobe has a thing for Echizen? My god! Yuuta and Atsushi are going to have a field day with what I am about to tell them. I wonder if I should inform the guys at Seigaku about this?"

"I think they already know about this, especially Kikumaru and Inui. They have this all recorded on video. Furthermore, I think it's best if we tell Yuuta about it. He could very well flip once he hears about Echizen dating Atobe. I also wonder if his brother Fuji Syusuke could have instigated the whole thing himself or Atobe has gone completely insane."

"Nah, I don't think Syusuke would be that kind of guy to do that to ryoma. Sure, we may not have defeated him in a tennis match during the nationals or the Kanto tournament. But I don't think Syusuke would have travelled all the way to Hyoutei academy just to see Atobe and set this little charade up." Replied Mizuki. 

As the two continued to spy on Atobe and Echizen, it seems that they have moved on towards roller coasters after the lunch since the miso soup and the BBQ pork meat seems to have boosted Echizen's morale. Elsewhere, Momo, Oishi, and the two doubles partners Choutaro and Shishido watched from within the park's control room in order to get a better understanding of what exactly those two lovebirds are really doing here in the park. Although all seems to be normal as Atobe and Ryoma are doing the rides and playing arcade games. In other words, both of them seem to be having a great time together as friends. As nightfall came, Atobe and Ryoma feels that their fun is only just beginning. 

"Looks like Yuuta should definitely see this in person himself. He will flip for sure." replied Yanagisawa as he headed home for his studies.

Back at the hideout, everyone was a bit silent at what just unfolded in front of them.

"What the hell just happened out there?" asked Momo

"Atobe showed his affections towards Ryoma and he is still not interested in the date." added Oishi.

"Yeah, but the question is, when did our captain have a thing for Echizen Ryoma? I think he really has issues that none of us can figure out." Implied Shishido.

"Shishido-san! Our captain loves Ryoma and wants to keep him safe, but it makes it strange that he has to take him places. That impertinent brat seems to be pretty lucky so far flirting with that lunatic. Unfortuantely, our captain just can't seem to leave Echizen alone because he feels that the kid is very important to him. Say, do you think Atobe has forgotten about us?"

"No way! Atobe would never leave us for that brat! After all, if that kid thinks he can steal our captain away from us, he has another thing coming!" boomed Shishido.

"Shishido, I think it's actually Atobe that took interest in Echizen because he feels that playing tennis all day with the Hyoutei club members wouldn't work in his favor. After all, if my data is correct, there is a 75 percent chance that he might take Echizen bowling next and there is a possibility that he might get you guys involved on the date as well." Replied Inui with an evil grin.

"Just what exactly are you insinuating?" asked Shishido.

"I mean before he left for the amusement park with Echizen, he gave me these tickets to a bowling alley. He wanted you guys to join him and the kid on the date starting next weekend. I do believe he is proposing a challenge for you guys to see if you would both be interested. Therefore he wanted me to give the tickets to you."

Shishido and Choutaro looked at each other for a moment and were a bit confused, "Wait, so you are saying he wants us to hang out with that lunatic and that pipsqueak? I don't think we should interrupt their so called date, but if this is what our captain wants, then we will be there. We don't really know what the hell Atobe is thinking, but we will show him just how good we really are." They said.

"Did you just say that Atobe and Ryoma are dating each other? Holy Shit! now I know why Kamio has prevented Momo from taking my sister out on a date." said Tachibana.

"Yes, so now that you have seen this, Atobe is going keep pursuing Ryoma until that brat can show his feelings for him." replied Kenya.

"Like I said, I don't see anything wrong here, it seems that Ryoma has finally learned how to respond in kind right in front of his lover. Ut would be a breach of protocol if we interfered." continued Inui.

"This is just fucked up! There is no way that this can be real! I am going to have a talk with Oshitari later." said Hiyoshi.

That night, Atobe and Echizen felt that they are getting even closer to reaching their goal, but Ryoma feels that he might need a little more time before he can confess his true feelings towards his lover.

"So, you had a good time so far?" grinned Atobe.

"Yes, and thank you for spending it with me, but still though I do feel that Beat could be interested in this chew toy that we won at the arcades earlier. I wanted to return the favor so that one of these days, I can meet your Afghan Hound in person." Atobe looked at him for a minute and smiled.

"How very thoughtful of you thinking about my dog, but how did you know that I had an Afghan hound?" asked Atobe sheepishly.

"You've kept a picture of your beautiful dog on your phone and he reminds me of Karupin, both are equally cute in many ways. The other day, I was walking your dog around the yard and he started to take a liking to me for some reason. At first I thought to myself, how did Kabaji make me a pet sitter? Its actually my first time walking dogs."

"Ah, yes that. Usually my dog will take great interest in almost anyone that he meets and yes he is pretty friendly with other people. So now, I propose that you walk my dog every weekend with me if you stay at my estate. Perhaps we might be building up a strong relationship together. I do find you quite suitable for my taste, Echizen; because you are my true calling and thus you are like a star that shines brightly at my side!"

Ryoma could only snicker at that response and figured that Atobe has been overdosed on Shakespeare plays and D.H. Lawrence novels. "Sometimes even I wonder when he will really come to his senses and understand that we are only supposed to stay as friends and not lovers?" he thought to himself before parting ways with his date.

"Are you going to think about my proposal for the weekend?" called Atobe

"I will take it into consideration, just give me time to think about it." Ryoma waved back.

"Take your time, there is no rush, my dear prince."

"Just to let you know, we are friends, not lovers!"

"Sure, but one day you will be mine! And that's a promise!" Ryoma could only ignore Atobe's remark but smirked at him as they headed home.

Back in the house, Ryoma was washing up for dinner when he noticed Karupin following him. He could only smile at the cat and said, "Oi, Karupin, you must have missed me didn't you? Just give me a moment to clean myself up and I will get to you soon."

The cat could only meow at that response as he batted at Echizen's nose while snuggling upon his legs.

"So, little brat! Did you have a fun time with your new boyfriend?" asked Nanjiro.

"Dad, I told you, he is just a friend that I have known for a long time. Yes he may still play tennis with me at times, but I think he is getting obsessed with me." Replied Ryoma

"First time newbies will always be influenced by their true lovers! Think you can introduce me to him?" asked his father with that puppy eye look.

Ryoma could only groan at that remark but decided to concede. "Sure, but if you do meet him, he could tell us how we spent the night together."

"Looks like someone is quite the ladies man! I am sure that he likes to get personal with almost everything that he sees because he always meets up with that sadistic kid from Seigaku."

"You mean Fuji Syusuke?"

"Yes, that's him. I heard that they were planning to set you up to meet two of Atobe's best tennis players at a bowling alley this weekend. In other words, he wants you to prove that you can defeat his students at the game before you can show your true feelings towards the diva." Replied nanjiro as he rubbed his son's head.

"We shall see about that. I am sure that Choutaro and Shishido wants their captain to explain what his true intentions are as well. Honestly, almost everyone at Hyoutei are either laughing their asses off, or some just don't seem to care at all with the exception of Oshitari and his doubles partner. I don't know but I think my friends have either sent me to the lion's den or the fact that the students from Shitenhouji have something else on their minds for me, but whatever the case might be, I always tell them that me and Atobe are just friends, but they won't listen."

"One day Atobe will just have to challenge me for a little tennis match to see if you are worthy enough to be called his "lover" wouldn't you agree?" his father said with an evil smug on his face.

Ryoma deadpanned at his father and glared at him, "Oh my god! Now you are acting just like him! Seriously, knock it off will you?"

"Why? You're worried that your boyfriend will cheat on you?" smirked Nanjiro with an evil grin.

Ryoma vein popped, he wasn't about to let his old man get away with that. "You old fart, just wait till I get my hands on you!" As the chase continued, Inui and the rest could only groan in disbelief that Echizen's father would pull off a stunt like this. But they still could only wonder how the next date will go at the bowling alley since someone is prepared to show off their skills in a match against the silver pair from Hyoutei academy since they are strong as doubles in tennis. But bowling could be a different story.

The next day, at the St. Rudolph academy, things were starting to get out of hand in the courts as the first years barely had time to start practicing. Then, Shiranishi spotted Mizuki and Yuuta at the school's gym and said, "Guys, did you hear? Atobe and Ryoma are actually going out on a date this weekend. They are going bowling together and will face off against Shishido and Choutaro. Oh my god"

Yuuta and Mizuki had confused looks on their faces.

"Excuse me?"

"No lie! It appears that the delusional captain from Hyoutei really has feelings for the Seigaku brat. Hell, I even saw them at the amusement park earlier and they were holding hands together on rides, especially the cable car. My god, it's really true, they are on a date!" protested Shiraishi.

Yuuta was shocked at that statement and said, "What the fuck? Okay, I can see that Atobe has officially lost it. And also it's pretty cute how Echizen has found his first love. I would love to date my brother's big sister at my house." Mizuki could see that his pawn had hearts in his eyes and sweat dropped.

"First off, what are you doing here, Shiraishi? And Yuuta, I thought I was your date, now you are cheating on me? Dude, your brother is going to flip if he finds out that you took his sister out on a date."

"I am sure he won't mind because he is nasty and sadistic at the same time." Replied Yuuta.

"That bastard Mizuki! I will need to remind my brother not to bring him to my house for tea next time around. He still thinks he knows Yuuta well, but one day, no one will date him and I will make sure of that!" thought Syusuke to himself with a death glare.

As Shiraishi and the data tennis master arrived at Inui's hideout, they are wondering why Sadaharu had a huge monitor here. And at that moment they could suspect that these guys are trying to put a stop to this date before it gets out of hand. Elsewhere, Kintaro was busy eating snacks and did not even care how the date could go.

"Kin-chan, please stop eating and join us on figuring how to get Echizen away from that stalker boyfriend of his. You are playing the role of big brother to him aren't you?" said Shiraishi as he grabbed the little jumper.

"NO! let me go, I want to see Atobe and Echizen get married!" protested Kintaro, but Kenya placed his hand over the jungle boy's mouth the moment that term was said.

"Seriously, Kintaro, you do not know the meaning of the word marriage. Don't even try to encourage Echizen to go through with this! Do you want to taste the wrath of Shiraishi's bandages?"

"My cousin knows best on how to control his own teammate." Replied Yuushi with a smile.

Suddenly, an older senior with a green uniform appeared out of nowhere and said, "Lucky Echizen! I can see why that kid has a loving personality for the Hyoutei king. Go get them, Ryoma boy!" 

Everyone sweat-dropped at the appearance of Sengoku from Yamabuki, especially Yuuta and Eiji.

"Why are you trying to encourage that kid? What the hell is wrong with you? Don't you got some women to chase after?" commented Shishido.

"Sorry, but I am here to observe Ryoma's little mission. I hope it can be successful. And also Shishido, why aren't you dating your partner Choutaro? You both make a cute couple!"

Shishido veins started popping and Choutaro snickered quietly.

"How dare you! Me and Choutaro are just friends, not lovers!" He was just about to whack Sengoku in the face when Oishi and Eiji tried to restrain him.

"Calm down, Shishido! Don't let that bastard get to you!" After everyone sat back down, they could see Echizen and Atobe arrive at the aquarium since this is where they will continue their quest of love.

"What the hell are they doing at the aquarium?" asked Renji

"I don't know but it seems that Atobe is letting Ryoma carrying a bag containing their foods inside the food court. Since why did Atobe ask Ryoma to go to this place? That lunatic never took Gakuto to any shows involving the sea creatures." Said Oishi.

"Atobe, you bastard! you leaving me out on so much activities and here you are winning that brat's heart over mine? You will pay for this!" roared Gakuto.

"His brain has completely faltered, Mukahi. Now I know giving him those tea bags was a big mistake. What the hell was he possibly thinking asking me to get him those expensive ones? I mean doesn't he have enough for the tennis club?" snorted Kenya.

Yuushi agreed with his cousin and felt bad that Atobe had made Kenya waste that money on drinks, but he didn't care since they are watching out for anything suspicious going on here.

In the Aquarium, Atobe and Echizen are planning to see almost every single sea creature that are inhabiting this place. The presence of the dolphins made the kid smile since he loved those creatures, which reminded him of how his parents took him to see whales on the beaches of Naniwa. But this time, Atobe feels that Echizen needs to learn something about the sea creatures and the way that they make love towards each other.

"Looks like we came to the right place, Echizen! Now, I wanted to show you how sea creatures make love and it is up to us to copy their moves so that we can get prepared to take down the silver pair. In other words, if we can make love, so can Shishido and Choutaro." Grinned Atobe.

"Yeah right, you delusional mother fucker! What the hell do you know about love anyway, you sick yarou! If I was at the aquarium right now, I will wipe that grin off your face!" shouted Shishido.

"Love works in mysterious ways." Sighed Kenya. Everyone else nodded in unison.

As the team continued their tour of the aquarium, they are greeted by the dolphins and Atobe started communicating with them in their language and surprisingly, they made a message in the sea that said "Congratulations to a great date!"

Everyone had blank stares on their faces. Since when did Atobe learn to talk to dolphins like that? Even Yuushi couldn't take any more of this and decided that it was time for him to meet with Sanada immediately since only he can clear up this mess. Gakuto followed his partner as well since he was embarrassed at seeing the awful gestures that the captain had made. Elsewhere, Mizuki and Yuuta could only snicker quietly.

By nightfall, Atobe and Echizen had wrapped up the aquarium. They had learned a lot about how love works in the sea and the air. However, before they left. Atobe grabbed echizen by his hand and took him to his other home for a little swim since this is a good chance to see how good that kid is with water sports.

"I want to know how well you can swim." Said Atobe

"Okay, but why? When I was younger, my parents taught me when I was younger and therefore, I practiced almost every summer." Answered Echizen

"Yes, but that was then. This is now, I want to see what you have learned. My parents would be delighted to meet you since they want to know you better as well. Come on kid, my dog Beat is getting anxious!" called Atobe as he ran off with his lover on his back.

"What are you doing Atobe? Put me down! I can walk all by myself!" protested Echizen

At that moment, Atobe feels that he might have offended Ryoma a little bit and said, "Sorry about that, I see you still have strength to walk. So try to keep up."

And with that, the lovers headed off into the darkness of the night towards the new two story house.

Those two make a strange love pair.


	4. Secrets Revealed

[Secrets Revealed]

Back at Seigaku, everyone in the tennis club, including Sakuno and Tomoko are shocked to hear that Echizen has found his first love from Hyoutei academy. As for Fuji, he decides now that it would be a good time for him to contact Yukimura since he has seen the video footage of Ryoma and Atobe together at the aquarium because this was his chance to ensure that the entire school gets a good understanding of Ryoma's true intentions with his lover. Furthermore, Yuuta was already aware of the situation himself since him and Mizuki were snooping around the amusement park that day.

"Aniki, did you see what happened in the amusement park? It seems that the Seigaku brat is really hitting it off with Atobe, I had a feeling that something like this would happen!" Yuuta couldn't even catch his breath when he approached his big brother, so Fuji managed to calm his brother down with some water.

"Yes, I know, but I don't think that they are getting married. Ryoma told me himself that this is not actually a date since he wanted a tennis match with Atobe. However, that diva is either insane or just off his rocker. But no matter how we looked at it. Inui's data proved to be sufficient since it shows that Atobe does have feelings for our Ochibi." replied Fuji.

"Oh really? But did that brat ever show his true feelings toward Atobe? I mean this is ryoma we are talking about here! From what I have seen in the video, those two have been eating and having fun together in the park and now they are going to go bowling later on. Do they really think they can defeat the silver pair on their own?" asked yuuta.

"I think they can handle it. If anything goes wrong then we can intervene. Now then, class is almost over, why don't you and I watch something to keep us occupied? I am sure Yukimura is going to have a field day with Ryoma since he is heading towards Rikkaidai next." Fuji then placed his hand on his brother as they packed up their things and headed home.

Meanwhile, back at Atobe's place, Ryoma was ready to head back home after all the fun he had at the park. Furthermore, he thanked Atobe for a great time but didn't get the tennis match he wanted. However, Atobe did promise him that bowling will make up for it. Furthermore, Ryoma wondered why he thinks this date is so important to Atobe even when they did sleep together in bed for just that one night. Although the leader of Hyoutei was a narcissist, he has showed a caring side for the brat since this was a chance for Ryoma to see and understand just how much of a heart Atobe really has. However, ryoma feels that this boss monkey might be going off the deep end, but whatever the case might be, Ryoma has to sleep this off before tomorrow's big event.

Elsewhere, Inui has gathered Oishi, Eiji, the Oshitari cousins, and the Syusuke brothers at his home for an important meeting since they are fully aware of Atobe's actions around Echizen. However they feel that Echizen might be a bit uncomfortable with the king's love affections since he is not ready for a boyfriend just yet. Furthermore, the Seigaku Tennis club cannot tell Ryoma this until they are sure that the brat can dump him and find love elsewhere, however, convincing a seventh grader to do this would impact his friendship and the affections that are directed towards him.

"Nya, I think Atobe really seems to have showered our Ochibi with his affections of love, I think this is a good chance for him to know how love can impact his future." said Fuji while cracking a smile.

"Unfortunately, Atobe wouldn't plan something like this without telling anyone else. I mean, even that note on Echizen's phone wouldn't get the kid to fall for it instantly. I think the captain has an inflated ego or so because deep down, Echizen knows that the pompous diva has become a twisted, egotistic, maniac. Sure, he might be gentle on the outside, but he is a lot different inside now and I don't know what is going on with him." said Yuushi.

"I agree with you, not even Tezuka would have the audacity to make out with someone unless he has their approval. But in this case, Ryoma has been considered a 'special case' since he is either brainwashed or just not thinking straight." added Kenya.

"Guys, you are being a little too hard on Echizen. I am sure this is not his fault, but even if we did try to stop this, it would a breach of protocol since I am sure Atobe will back off from that kid soon, but there is only a thirty percent chance of that happening because Atobe has got something else planned." said Inui.

"When I faced off with that brat in tennis, he wanted to see just what I was made of. And now, he has seen what Atobe is capable of doing and thus, nothing can be done to let him reject his advances since that guy is going press forward with his love schemes. I did mention to echizen that staying away from Atobe could do him some good, but Atobe insisted that he has gotten this under control." said yuuta.

"Yuuta-san, Atobe tricked you into thinking that he could handle this, but I think we are just going to have to let this play out to see how it all goes in the end. There is no point in telling Echizen to stop now since he is not going to listen to us." continued Oishi as he took a sip of ponta.

"How did he trick me? I didn't see him texting me or anything." continued Yuuta.

"Check your phone, I saw Atobe sending you something in your email." said Inui as he took Yuuta's phone and scrolled down to Keigo's message. It said, "Yuuta-sempai, I appreciate that you are trying to tell Echizen to reconsider the date, but my love for him is purely a professional conduct and I am only trying him out to see if my bet will pay off. In the meantime, you don't have to worry about anything." Sincerely, Atobe.

Yuuta was shocked that he didn't see that note on his phone sooner as he pounded his fists on the sofa. "Damn you, Atobe! You may have outsmarted me, but next time you won't be so lucky!" He then tossed his phone to Fuji and said, "Please delete any other incoming messages from Atobe because I cannot stand his sexual passions anymore."

"You really don't seem to have any interest in this love scheme do you?" thought Fuji to himself.

Once Ryoma arrived in the house, he was shocked to find Kintaro in his room and wondered how he ended up here. As Ryoma raced to find his father, he could see him playing a match with Shiraishi.

"Oyaji, why are you playing tennis with Shiraishi-sempai? And why is jungle boy here?" asked a confused Ryoma.

"Kintaro wanted to see your house since he didn't want you sleeping on your own tonight. so your father invited us over for a little celebration to congratulate you on your successful date with Keigo." Replied Shiraishi

"I told Atobe that we are not dating, we are just two friends that hang out on a regular basis. Need I remind you that the rich king has asked me to go bowling with him?" finished Ryoma as he sets down his tennis equipment.

"Aww, Koshimae! You really do have a soft spot for that stalker. I think you both have just proven yourselves worthy to be together forever and make babies!" Kintaro was blushing until Shiraishi smacked him back to reality.

"Kin-chan! Don't be so daft, we are here to keep this secret to ourselves; we can't spoil a relationship between a king and a prince since they don't go to the same school together. Protested Shiranishi.

Ryoma sweat-dropped at that remark, "Since when did Monkey King make me his prince? I am not going to be a part of his little scheme if these guys keep interfering. I guess I will just have to play along. Anyway, why are you all at my house?" asked Ryoma.

"Your father invited our whole tennis team here since he wants to see Kintaro sleeping with you tonight because I will be making a blog of your relationship with Atobe. I think you might enjoy the surprises for tonight." Replied zaizen with an evil glee. 

"You are kidding right? My house barely has room for all of you. Where are you all going to sleep? And also having Kintaro in my bed is out of the question because he could keep me up at night with his noise. Besides though, all I wanted was to have a quiet night alone, but since you are here, make yourselves at home, my cat Karupin has overdosed on catnip and wants you to massage him. Furthermore, if you are thirsty, my mom has drinks prepared."

"Thank you! You didn't really think we would let you be alone all night, did you? And we came prepared with our sleeping bags since your mom has made all the arrangements. After all, this is a party to celebrate our ochibi's love relationship! Go get them Ochibi!" boomed Gin as he rubbed the kid's hair.

"In case you haven't noticed, I am not in love, I am just his friend for life." Corrected Ryoma.

"Don't be shy, lover boy! You cannot deny it for much longer. I can see it in your eyes because Fuji told me that he has seen you and Atobe holding hands together in the amusement park and I am certain that he would do the same when he goes out with Yukimura. Therefore, we got strong evidence that places you and Atobe holding hands together in the park. Were you guys kissing? And don't start lying! Remember, no speed, no life!" called Kenya.

Ryoma deadpanned at them for a moment before crossing his arms, "Guys, we were not kissing. Who told you that I kissed him? I think Fuji Syusuke must have been a sadist telling you that. We are just two friends having fun together in the park. That's all."

"Oh really? Inui has video evidence of you and Atobe in bed sleeping together. How do you explain that? My eyes don't lie and they tell me that you did. Why can't I be like you? Yuji, I want you to kiss me right now!" He then turned his attention to his doubles partner and tried to move in for his big moment, but Yuji simply pushed him away.

"You really are a weirdo, Koharu! Get away from me!" yelled Yuji as he tried to pry koharu loose from his body while everyone else sweat-dropped at those two pedophiles.

"Are you both looking for a death wish? Because I can put your little sex scene in my blog and share it with Coach Osamu tomorrow!" warned Zaizen.

At that moment, Koharu and Yuji chased after Zaizen since they are not going to let a stalker violate their private moment and get away with it. Everyone else laughed at those two jokers, including Ryoma. By the time the party was over, Ryoma had retired in his room for the night with Kintaro since he wanted to see the actual date between the prince and the king. Luckily, the entire Shitenhouji audience is finally getting a chance to see if Ryoma can pull this date off successfully.

"Hey Koshimae, I really wish that you and Atobe will make a perfect couple together. I could be your best man for the wedding." Retorted Kintaro as he embraced the Seigaku kid tightly.

"There is no wedding! What makes you think me and that monkey king are a couple? Like I said, he is narcissistic and delusional at times, but he is trying to look out for my best interest. We are not actually in love, but Atobe won't listen to anything I say and he still thinks I am the captain of his soul and thus he thinks my heart belongs to him. Now, I don't know if I can call that crazy, but to me, he is out of his mind." Replied Ryoma.

"I am sure that he is trying to win you for himself since Tezuka-buchou does not show signs of love towards you because he is more interested in our captain's little sister since she is deeply attached towards him. I have a feeling that they could have feelings for each other soon, I just know it."

"Tezuka will just reject your captain's advances because there is no way that he will date that guy's sister. For me I could just rebuff Keigo's date thing and just settle it with a tennis match. However, he has no idea when the whole date thing will be dropped. So I am just along for the ride. Besides, if Atobe asked me to go bowling, I cannot turn it down. I am sure the entire Rikkaidai team is going to hit the roof if they find out about our relationship. And I am sure Sanada is probably going to tear me a new one even if I practice tennis with them."

"I am sure that old man will understand if you tell him the truth, koshimae. Besides though, that seaweed-haired boy is already aware of the situation at hand. Also, you got nothing to worry about and there is nothing much to hide like you said. So I assume that American kid is already aware of your secrets? I just hope that the diva does not stalk him next."

"Kin-chan, you really have no respect for your sempais from Rikkaidai, do you? Sure they may be our rivals, but they do care about me and my teammates. Yes, my secrets cannot be kept hidden so they do need to learn the truth between me and Atobe. So if they can take it easy on me, I am sure this is all a big misunderstanding. But who knows, I could assume the worst and they will inflict deadly punishments out on me and I can handle it." Finished Ryoma as he yawned off to bed.

By the next morning, Ryoma was already up early for his usual morning jog outside when he noticed something behind the bushes, but he didn't pay much attention to it. However, he could hear his phone ringing. As ryoma checked, it was actually Kikumaru calling him.

"Ya-Hoh? What's up ochibi? So I heard about this crazy secret of yours. It is said that you have a relationship with the Hyoutei's captain right? We got the evidence on tape so you no longer need to keep it hidden from us. Furthermore, we know about your relationship with Atobe because we've seen everything. Even the silver pair told us that their captain has been acting a little crazy over you lately. Just tell me, are you really in love with him?" asked Eiji.

"So you called me up just to ask about my relationship with that boss monkey? Look why does everyone want to know about my affairs with Atobe? Are you all really this obsessed with this date thing? Look, I can tell you that we were not dating. He only took me to the amusement park yesterday just to have some fun. I wanted to spend time with him because it's been a long time since I last went on rides at the park. Therefore, I got my childhood dream back, that's all we did." Chided Ryoma.

"So you were not really kissing him?" asked Eiji

"No, definitely not. Atobe is not that kind of person although he may have affections towards me as a friend. But even if he thinks I am his pride and joy, I think he might be either crazy or so. Also, it seems that I am asked to go bowling today after tennis practice with the rikkaidai team. I am betting that Fuji has already relayed the message to Yukimura already?" Ryoma was a bit nervous after all that fiasco over the last few weeks since Rikkaidai would not fall for Atobe's tricks because they know that he is up to something.

"Oh, I see, but maybe I was hoping that we could settle some of these silly secrets that we have—"

"No, like I said, Atobe and I are just friends, not lovers as you would think." Finished Ryoma.

"Okay, we understand, but you know that we do support your decision if it was for the best. We're just making sure that you didn't hump each other in bed because Oshitari and Mukahi has seen what their captain had done to you because you can tell us if this did occur. So you guys are not heading towards Korea are you?" Continued eiji.

"No, no, that did not happen. Atobe only tucked me in because he didn't want me to sleep all by myself. I think he is just treating me like a kid at his home. Also, Korean was just dinner at the park because I was hungry. Although I had some simple healthy foods from the Korean joint, it was worth it."

"That's understandable," Eiji was finally cleared of that confusion. "Dinner, you ate Korean food for dinner?"

"He wanted Korean food because it was the best."

"Of course, but why Korean food? Does he not know that there are plethras of Korean restaurants here?" asked Eiji.

"I was just hungry because I didn't have much to eat that morning. Is there anything else you wanted to ask?" continued Ryoma.

"Um, no. So you are not actually in love with him, but you ended up hanging out with Atobe anyway right?"

"Eiji, its pretty normal for guys to hang out together at the amusement park. I've seen how Hiyoshi and Gakuto got together for a little fun time during spring break, you know that? So it's not a date. Sometimes they often grab dinner afterwards even when they don't have time to eat at home."

At that moment, Eiji was surprised that Atobe had did such a nice thing for Ryoma even if they still played tennis together on a regular basis since this was just a casual event between men.

"How often do you guys get to play tennis?" asked Eiji.

"Sometimes on weekends, and weekdays at the clubhouse." Echizen said.

"You lucky son of a gun! Are you aware that this love life is getting in Atobe's head?" He had to ask this question since it didn't affect Echizen at all.

"I told him many times but he won't care. It's like I am seeing a different side to him."

"What do you mean?"

"Meh, you know guys like Atobe has turned into someone that he is not, and he will go to any length to ensure that I will be forever in his heart. It's like Atobe has turned into a love doctor. So I don't know what has gotten into him lately." Replied Ryoma.

Momo almost exploded after hearing Echizen's replies about Atobe on the phone and took it away from Eiji. He also wanted a part of this conversation.

"Ochibi, I understand that you are having trouble rejecting Atobe's advances, but the more you deny it, the more we feel that you are trying to reject Atobe's feelings for you. Don't get me wrong, but you are failing to show your cute side towards the diva. Sure, we all think that guy might be off his rocker, but we have sent Fuji to Rikkaidai to gather more information from Yukimura so that we don't blow it out of proportion." Said Momo.

"Are you serious? Why did you send that sadist to Rikkaidai? Those guys will literally take me apart if they finds out about this!" protested Ryoma.

"Sorry Ochibi, but we know what happened that night. So don't try to hide it." Continued Momo.

"Damn you, Momo! You are supposed to keep this a secret!" Thought Ryoma to himself. "I guess I will have to clear up this mess on my own. Thanks for the call." And with that Ryoma hung up the phone and prepared for his daily spanking at Rikkaidai. This time, Yukimura was dying to know what exactly Atobe is really doing. Furthermore, Ryoma decided it was time for him to face the music and tell them the whole truth.

As the middle school kid gathered up his tennis equipment, Kintaro followed him behind while Oshitari and Gakuto waited outside of echizen's house to pick him up. Ryoma didn't realize that they were planning to head to Rikkaidai since they have gotten wind of Atobe's plans. At this point, it looks like Hyoutei was not going to make life easy for the Seigaku prince as he heads off to meet the strictest captain in tennis history.

"So Echizen, Atobe really can't seem to get away from you right? Don't worry, I saw the tape. So I feel it's for the best if you just tell us what you were doing with our captain." Said Oshitari.

"He did take me back to his place and wanted me to sleep there for the night and he had to tuck me in with him. I thought he was being crazy, but then I realized this was no dream since he feels that I might have nightmares sleeping all alone."

"NO WAY! Are you saying that atobe made you sleep in his room? Gosh! Now we know that guy is crazy. How come I never get to sleep him?" shouted Gakuto.

"That's because he feels that you always jump too much and making a mess. Furthemore, you never clear out your dirty laundry from his room." Oshitari glared at his doubles partner with a dangerous smile.

Gakuto was blushing and wanted to smack Yuushi on his face for spewing that out in public while Ryoma snickered quietly.

"What's so funny, brat?" asked Gakuto.

"Nothing really. It's just that you are jealous that Atobe didn't show his true feelings towards you!" replied Ryoma.

"That's ridiculous! Atobe knows me very well because he cares about me. If I was to date him, I will just say no because it would look bad on my record. Atobe feels that I am a good tennis player." Said gakuto. 

"Uh-huh, sure. Atobe nearly dropped you from the club due to your poor serves because you were not playing seriously." Retorted Yuushi.

"Oh, shut it! I have been doing my best to please the captain!" protested Gakuto.

"Sure you did, but let's get moving to Rikkaidai. We cannot keep Sanada and Fuji waiting." Finished Yuushi. As everyone arrived, Yukimura and Sanada greeted them at the door as Ryoma stepped inside.

"Welcome to Rikkaidai, little brother. So, what brings you all the way here?" asked Yukimura

"Well, I am here for a little tennis match. However, I assume you have heard about these crazy secrets that Atobe has been keeping from you?" replied Echizen.

"You are very observant, brat. I think it's time for you to tell us the truth. Before you do though, let's get this match underway. And what is Kintaro doing here?" said Sanada as he grabbed Echizen towards the locker area where Akaya helped to change the kid into his tennis gear.

"Oh, he is here to observe because he also saw Atobe and Ryoma at the amusement park last night. Therefore, this is only the beginning of Ryoma's little romantic relationship." Replied Yuushi.

"I see. So it seems that the brat is denying the fact that he is dating your captain and does not want to admit his feelings towards that crazy loon?" asked Sanada.

"Yes, Inui has all the evidence of those lovebirds." Gakuto replied.

"My god! Has Atobe really lost it? I want you to tell me everything after this match is over, Ryoma!" ordered Sanada.

Damn it! Now Rikkaidai knows the truth about Atobe and Ryoma because someone has relayed information about these two lovebirds. I wonder how Ryoma could face reality after this mess? What if Atobe really made his promise? Then Ryoma would really be in trouble. As the match continued, the kid was able to hit almost every single ball back towards his rival without breaking a sweat, but Yukimura feels that Ryoma might have been exerting too much force.

"are you tired?" asked the vice captain.

"Not yet, let's play one more match." Continued Echizen.

"You are on."

This was going to be a good match between two rivals.


	5. Appropriate Actions

After the tennis match, Ryoma stopped to wipe his forehead before he takes a sip of water to cool down. As he sat down on the bench, Akaya walked over and sat down next to him since it was time for seaweed head to have a little talk with the popular ladies man because this was Rikkaidai's chance to hear the kid's side of the story regarding Keigo.

"Ryoma-san are you really dating Atobe from hyotei? Because I have heard rumors that you went to his house a couple of days ago and they are flying around like crazy!" Said Akaya.

"Maybe I did, but why do you want to know about our relationship?" asked a confused Ryoma.

Sanada looked at Ryoma for a moment before placing his hand on the boy's shoulders since there is no way that the kid could start lying to the fuku-buchou because this guy can sense that the kid was beginning to get nervous around Atobe. Furthermore, he realizes that Ryoma is definitely hiding something from the Rikkaidai team.

"Look kid, we all saw what you did with Atobe, and we can understand that. However, don't you know that one day you could end up as the laughingstock of Seigaku? I mean we don't want a tennis prodigy to end up getting married to a crazy lunatic that will stop at nothing to fall for you. Your tennis career might be in serious jeopardy." continued Sanada.

"I never said I wanted to marry him, all he did was take me to my favorite childhood place for the first time and that's what friends are supposed to do. I guess he wanted to look after me because he wants me to be safe. And what does my tennis career have to do with this?" finished Ryoma.

"Looks like lover boy here has been under a love spell from Atobe. I guess this would mean that he has been living with the lunatic at his house. I saw the video myself since he also has treated this kid to Korean food." Said marui while chewing his bubble gum.

"Really? Oh! So, it's true then. Ryoma, what were you doing with Atobe last night? And don't skip any details!" said Akaya.

"We went out to the aquarium as our first destination since he wanted to see how the dolphins bond and mate together because he used them as a comparison between us. Somehow I wondered what does our love have to do with these dolphins? At that moment, I was confused, but then I realized that those sea creatures actually congratulated us on a successful date." Said ryoma sheepishly.

"Saa, so you actually did date him, but you don't want to admit your true feelings for him?" asked Yukimura.

"Yes, but even if I say no, he will still try and follow me and convince me otherwise because Oshitari-sempai has begged him to call off the bet. However, he still thinks that his feelings for me is real and he knows that my heart solely belongs to him. At first, I thought he was playing a joke, but then he started seeing me on a daily basis. Besides, he asked for flowers and my father had no choice but to give it to him." Continued Ryoma.

At that moment, Niou's jaw nearly dropped to the floor while everyone else had shocked looks on their faces. Even Oshitari and gakuto couldn't help but sympathize with the tennis produgy.

"Kid, I don't blame you for trying to reject that lunatic's offer, but I think the flowers might be a little too much. Hell, even I don't think Atobe would be this crazy falling for you."

Sanada could only groan in disappointment. "Niou is right. After all, if you are trying to reject your true love for him, tell him to stop stalking you. Otherwise your friend from America won't hear the end of this."

"Even if I reject him now, he will still follow me around day after day. I can't shake him off. You heard what Shishido said before. Even he thinks that I might not be his type, but Atobe wouldn't listen since he wants to see this love thing through to the end. He has his own agenda and he made a lot of conditions." Continued Ryoma.

Conditions such as going wherever he wants to go? Visit the whole world on his private jet?" asked Yanagi.

"Yeah, Atobe even made the Oshitari cousins do all his shopping for him if this pays off. Second, he has to make Gakuto-sempai during the morning hours as part of his strength training. Finally, he has to make sure that I beat him in pool and bowling. Those are his terms and I have to follow them." Replied Ryoma.

Why did you have to torture your own tennis club team members like this? All you are doing is just burdening them with responsibilities that they are not qualified to handle. Besides, you know that Ryoma is not your type so why do you keep going after him?

"Damn you Atobe!" Sanada could only grab his ankle weights and toss them in the sky where they made a huge thunk on the ground, causing everyone to jump at their feet. After Sanada calmed himself down with a glass of water from Yukimura, Renji took his data book and began recording the information that was gathered so far.

"Ryoma's chances of winning in bowling is only 60 percent, chances of beating Atobe at pool: 70 percent. However, his chances of falling in love with Atobe is only 85.3 percent. So, Ryoma is nowhere near his rival's level of romance." Everyone else was surprised at Renji's random predictions, including Gakuto since Renji and Inui are data masters and they are not to be underestimated. But since this is only a random predicton, they are certain that Atobe could make his next move even when Ryoma is within range of him.

"Seriously, where did you come up with these random predictions about Ryoma's love life?" wondered Akaya.

"This is a secret that they have been hiding for a long time. We might never know." Replied Jackal.

"Sometimes even I wonder if Jirou has really been affected by Atobe's little tricks. I do feel sorry for Ryoma though and at the same time, happy that he has found true love." Said Marui.

"Oh please! That brat does have the cute side in him, but he has a hard time admitting that he is not in love with Atobe even when it's his first time dating. I am sure Yukimura spent a lot of time with our fuku-buchou since he is in love with Yukimura. I wonder if this makes him an old man or so?" Akaya was given a glare by his team members and at that moment, you know what happens…

SLAP!

Akaya could feel his cheek turning red after that insult. Furthermore, Genchirou started chasing after his teammate and shouted, "Akaya! 50 laps around the tennis courts NOW!" Soon, everyone else snickered as they watched poor Kirihara getting chewed out by the fuku-buchou. Even Yukimura smiled as well as he sat down next to Ryoma.

"You know little bro, I think you might just not be ready to admit your feelings towards Atobe yet."

"You might be right, Yukimura-buchou. But at this point, I will have to give it my best if I want to beat Atobe at bowling. Furthermore, Shishido is prepared to deal with this matter on his own as well."

Yukimura looked at Ryoma for a bit and continued, "You should also try and give up this whole date scheme because Atobe will continue to follow you if you don't stop this. Who knows how much longer he will come for you?"

"Well, it seems that the Hyoutei captain has told his club members that this can only be stopped if the bet is won and he will take however long he needs to get me to show my true love for him. Besides, he always tells everyone that they got nothing to worry about since this is something that he can handle."

"If you say so, but what if this bet of his does not succeed, then what will happen? You are already a subject of Atobe's affections since he is not giving up on you. I would think that he is planning a party of some sort at his villa later on since all of us have invitations. So, think about this carefully. Are you really going to go through with this date?" continued Yukimura.

"I got no other choice, but even if this is for the best, I think Atobe is really just looking out for my safety. But I can see that he has spent months making a fool out of himself. If I am really straight-up in love with him, I would have told him that a long time ago."

All of a sudden, Akaya and Niou jaw-dropped at Ryoma's expression and dashed towards the bleachers.

"You are just straight-up in love with Keigo? Are you gay or straight?" asked Akaya.

"A little bit of both." Replied Echizen.

"Holy crap! Did you hear that Niou? Echizen just admitted the truth! Now we can see why he drank that love potion last night. Wow, I think Oshitari-san and Gakuto-san should know about this as well." Said Akaya in a state of shock.

Once Oshitari and Gakuto heard the news, they were both surprised since they wondered how Atobe will take the news about Echizen's feelings towards him. This was the sort of news that would spread throughout other schools in Tokyo and Osaka. Furthermore, planning a party could take a long time at Atobe's villa because everyone there would want to know the progress in their relationship since Echizen wasn't serious about it before. There are signs that Echizen might not be his type after all, but Atobe has other ideas to convince the kid to change his mind.

"So, that brat finally admitted that he is straight-up in love with our diva?" said Gakuto.

"Yup, I think Atobe could flip when he hears this. Now I can see why he has been chasing after Echizen for weeks now." Replied Oshitari.

After practice was over, Ryoma was prepared to meet Atobe at the bowling alley while Kirihara headed towards a phone booth since he needed the Seigaku team to listen to echizen's minor confession. As he dialed Eiji's number he somehow picked up and said, "Hello, this is Eiji speaking."

"Eiji, thank goodness that you picked up! Now listen, I know this might come so urgently, but it seems that Echizen has actually told us that he was gay for Atobe."

Eiji paused for a moment to wipe water off his face before continuing, "Excuse me?"

"Echizen said that he admitted having an affair with Atobe! No lie, he told us this during early morning practice and now, it's important that Atobe gets this message as soon as possible. I thought for sure that Ryoma was kidding, but deep down he does have feelings for that diva."

"Wow, really? So he really does like Atobe after all. Looks like Ochibi really knows how to find love all over the place. I just wondered what took him so long to confess? If he had told us this sooner, we would have thrown him a party to celebrate them getting together."

"Actually, it seems that Atobe will be reserving the party at his place since he has invited a lot of us to wish them well on their future. I was hoping that Echizen would have kept it a secret, but he told us anyway."

"So even though they are not on a date, Atobe still has Echizen right where he wants him despite the fact that he steadfastly denies that they have a relationship, am I getting this right?" continued Eiji

At this point, Echizen realizes that he had told rikkaidai about his situation, but he didn't know it would be this soon since he has no idea why he was dragged into this mess. However, if this spreads during the bowling game, Shishido will definitely freak out and would consider stopping the date all together, leaving Atobe heartbroken. The idea of letting Atobe making a big deal over a bet with dating Echizen would add more fuel to the fire at Hyoutei Academy. As for Choutaro, he still couldn't believe that his own captain had a thing for a kid that does not go to his school despite the rumors and secrets leaking out to the general public. So now, it was time for Oshitari to clear up this mess and put a stop to Atobe's little game because everyone has been getting suspicious about him and his new crazy-ass boyfriend.

"Yes, and that's not all. Even Ryoma feels that we have been getting too much information about his romance life. I am sure he does not want interference, but…"

"But, he needs time to think about this more before he makes a decision. I think that would be wise, except that Fuji tells Ryoma to go with his gut and make him fall in love with a person that will keep him safe for the rest of his life. I was certain that Syusuke would have been kidding, but tezuka tells fuji to let Atobe deal with Ryoma as he please." Finished Eiji.

"And Tezuka was okay with Ryoma dating a loud-mouthed peacock? Why didn't he take action?" protested Kirihara.

"I guess this is his way of saying: Good luck with our little squirt, you're going to need it," It's like he doesn't even care what sort of information he is going to get from Atobe before leaving for Germany. So, he left Ryoma under Atobe's care for now and that's how he ended up falling for the kid."

"Oh, I see. So either way, this is both Tezuka and Atobe's problem. But what I don't get is how did a guy like Keigo even went for that kid in the first place?" asked a confused Kirihara.

"I guess it's probably a date card that was given to him. This tells us that Ryoma was really up to something. Once we saw the card, we had no choice but to tell everyone else about it," Replied Eiji. "I am about to hang up now, if there is nothing else."

"Hold on, so this is Atobe's way of thanking you guys for handing ryoma over to him? You're thinking they are committed to each other in a way and decided to head to Korea for dinner right?"

"Nah, Korea was just a big misunderstanding; they ate Korean food for dinner yesterday at the amusement park. They were not going to leave the country anytime soon." Replied Eiji.

"Now, I understand." He then paused to tell his teammates about Echizen's little outing with Atobe and the foods they ate at the amusement park. Once they got the message, Sanada arrived and said, "Let me talk to Eiji, I am sure this has to be a joke that Atobe is pulling."

"Just a moment, Eiji. "Fuku-buchou, I think we should be feeling happy for Ryoma and Atobe since they only went to the park and…."

"I know that, would you please give me the phone?" ordered Sanada.

Eiji could hear Sanada on the other line since he knows that something else was up and it could be a reason why Ryoma did not mention it to them earlier. Furthermore, there is still the matter of weird things that the kid has been getting at his doorstep.

"One last thing before I give it to you. Eiji, you want to know about the packages that…"

But Sanada cut Akaya off and took the phone from his hand, "Eiji, my apologies for bothering you again. I wasn't really sure who to believe now. However, I cannot really tell what those guys are up to. Furthermore, if Atobe really meant to date Echizen, why did he say he was straight-up in love with him?"

"I am probably sure that was his way of telling you guys that he was not falling for Atobe's gayness." Replied Eiji.

"Say what now? You mean to tell me that someone made a mistake about this? I knew Akaya had been misinformed but Yanagisawa certainly said an earful to Shishido from Hyoutei that their captain had gone all out on echizen." Continued Sanada

"Yes, there is no denying that they meet and play tennis. Therefore, I think it is a date." Said Eiji.

"Of course, but still—"

"Tarundoru, Akaya! Need I remind you that you are forbidden to unleash your demon self towards your fuku-buchou?" He yelled while jackal and Niou poured water on kirihara's head before he could unleash his fury. With a disappointing sigh, he resumed his conversation, "Sorry about that, sometimes Akaya gets a little to excited about Ryoma. But thanks for the update eiji, I guess someone needs to tell Atobe to let this madness cease before he unleashes hell on Tokyo." And with that he disconnected the call, leaving Eiji to make a final note of "He is still not falling for Atobe's tricks."

As Ryoma arrived at home, he could see Atobe waiting for him outside of his home. "Fancy meeting you here, Monkey- er, I mean, Keigo-sama."

"You don't have to be so formal, Echizen. Besides, a man must be prepared naturally for an event such as this. And I know a perfect way to ensure that this date goes smoothly tonight." Chuckled Atobe.

"Please, like I said to those guys, I was going to hang out with you straight-up, and those guys mistook me having an affair with you. After all, I was being honest with them saying we are just friends and all that. Also, I did say I was straight-up in love with you." Chided Ryoma.

Atobe looked at him with a confused expression. "Excuse me?"

"I said I was straight-up in falling for you. And-" Before he could finish his sentence, Ryoma could feel his body being leaned towards Atobe's chest and stomach.

"Finally, you showed your feelings about me. How sweet of you! Looks like Shakespeare was right to guide us towards our destiny!" boasted Atobe.

Ryoma was in a state of confusion but didn't bother to ask. "I don't think those guys understood the news I unfolded to them, and my destiny isn't about love here."

"So they didn't take it quite well I see, ahn? You don't need to play coy with me because our love is pure. Need I remind you that I still have the bet on the table? We are going to show them what true love really means to the world!" He then let off a maniacal laughter as he escorted Ryoma into the limo. As they arrived at the bowling alley, they could already see Shishido and choutaro waiting for them by the lanes. Ryoma went off to greet them while Atobe starts setting up the playing field.

"Hello, Shishido and Choutaro-san, fancy meeting you guys here. So I take it you guys are ready for bowling?" asked Ryoma.

"Hello to you as well. I see that you must have told everyone about your so called love affair with Atobe right? I don't suppose that he is going to start giving you kisses after this is over right?" mumbled Shishido.

"Unfortunately, he is already holding the brat's hand and started his mission of setting up a double date for us." Scowled Choutaro.

Shishido could only look on with disgust towards Atobe while Ryoma walked towards lane 7 with the silver pair and removed his shoes before beginning this challenge.

"So, what's the deal with you and Atobe?" asked Shishido.

"Well, your captain has gone public about the date with me and I was forced to tell the guys at Rikkaidai earlier since everyone over there has found out about my secret." Replied Echizen.

"What!? You're kidding me! So your boyfriend invited all of us out here to bowl and still thinks he has his best interests in you? What the hell did you do, sip on crumpets and tea at his house?" Shishido shot a glare at Echizen before Choutaro tugged at his sleeve.

"Not only did he make me breakfast and poured tea for me, he is trying to act like a professional in trying to win this bet." said Ryoma.

"That's bullshit! He knows that is not how romance works! Now I know why Gakuto has stopped hanging out with that jerk." groaned Shishido.

"Let's not get too personal here, Shishido-san. I am sure Atobe has his reasons for trying to make love with Ryoma. Honestly, no one knows what his true intentions are. You heard what Yanagisawa told you earlier and frankly, letting our guest bowl a few games would give us a chance to see how good he really is. And besides, I am sure Atobe cares about us as well."

"You got to be shitting me, Now you are believing everything that Atobe has done for that kid? Sometimes I couldn't understand what our captain was really thinking," Choutaro wasn't really about to let this conversation get out of hand in front of echizen. But the fact is, letting their own captain making up a sick bet like this just to mess with Echizen only annoyed him to no end and it wants him to just go up to his captain and slap him on the head while yelling 'why do you keep going after Echizen, you two-timing motherfucker?' Not only did it piss him off, but it also told him that Atobe was not about to get away without a fight.

As Ryoma pulled his hat up, he said, "I am so sorry that Atobe had to drag you guys into this without asking. But I am sure we will have a good game here."

"Hey, don't worry about it kid. We were just messing with you." Shishido could only shoot a death glare at Atobe before escorting ryoma to their starting position. Once Atobe arrived with the drinks for his date and the silver pair, the team could see that this date is going to turn into a showdown of epic proportions.

"Just answer me this question, Are you really in love with.."

"Atobe? No, we are just friends." Said Ryoma with a lack of amusement "You could say that we are dating, but I won't gang-bang him if that is what you are worried about."

"I am not worried about that," Shishido looked over at his partner while atobe started setting up the pins and bumpers on their lane.

"Look, we are here to have fun, let's make this a good game." Ryoma said.

"Of course, but there isn't a chance in hell that I will allow you to kiss Atobe!" warned Shishido.

Ryoma looked at Shishido for a moment and pondered to himself "What makes him think I will kiss that freakazoid? Won't that force the girls to break us up?" At this point, Ryoma feels that he had nothing to worry about.

"Why does everyone want to know about my affairs with your captain? I am sure this has nothing to do with them."

"Well, because if you are dating our captain for any wrong reasons, it would be an insult to our school and you could be committing a crime." said Shishido Nervously.

"What sort of reasons? You think I would just take him out of the country and keep him to myself?"

"No! that's not it at all! Forget I said anything." grumbled Shishido.

"I understand, besides you need to have a serious talk with Monkey king." said Ryoma.

This game could end up with a winner kissing Atobe on the head or so.


	6. Bowling and Drinking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyoutei's First Date
> 
> By: NarutoandBleach
> 
> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use

As the bowling match got underway, Choutaro and Shishido managed some strikes and spares while Atobe bowled doubles and turkeys just like ryoma did. People were wondering how did these guys get so good at this game? Even Shishido and Choutaro were shocked at seeing a kid from Seigaku coming all the way here to school those beginners.

"Atobe, is it just me, or did you teach Ryoma how to bowl?" he asked.

"Actually, he learned it from watching his Seigaku teammates. They were here recently after the Kanto tournament and decided to do a little practice before their next match later on with other schools." Replied Atobe.

"Amazing! No wonder you have a thing for that kid. I think he might just return his feelings for you." Said Choutaro sheepishly.

"So you just noticed that now? I think my love for him is still strong and therefore, I will not give up until Ryoma can offer up a kiss for me! I can see it in my eyes because Romeo and Juliet had done the same thing. So if this can come true, our destiny will finally come together as one!" boasted Atobe as two lights started coming on his head.

As Shishido and Choutaro looked at their captain, both were a bit disgusted at his remarks.

"No offense, captain, but shouldn't you give Shakespeare a rest? Echizen isn't going to admit his love for you because he didn't do it to his previous girlfriend Sakuno." Replied Shishido.

"Ah, I see. But sakuno was just the icing on the cake. Even though Ryoma doesn't show his feelings towards her, I think he actually does care for me because I know that deep down in his heart, he finds love to be his forte. By the way, even if he did reject Sakuno's foods, he ate almost everything in the restaurants that I took him to." Said Atobe with a smile on his face.

"So you did take him to that Korean joint. You know, there are dozens of those restaurants like those all over the streets of Tokyo, but why at the park?" asked a confused choutaro.

"Well, you see, Ryoma was thinking about his childhood since he didn't have a chance to experience the amusement park rides for a long time. But I did remember in his younger years, his parents did take him here, but he barely remembers that time now. So, I had to show him around and even he did admit that it was a good date."

"I see, so you are saying you're trying to battle for Ryoma's love pride and you wanted him to understand how love works. But are you aware that Echizen might not be aware of how deeply attached you are towards him?" continued Shishido.

"Oh please, I have no doubts in my mind and I do believe that he needs time to fully understand where I am coming from. This is exactly the reason why those flowers gave me a chance to change my beauty and my looks. The truth is that the sky is calling out my name and it wants me to erase Echizen's dark side away because this shows that he does in fact, care deeply for me."

At that moment, Choutaro was about to walk out of here because he couldn't take any more of his captain's quotes. But he didn't want to leave because of the game that was still under way. Furthermore, choutaro had no idea how his captain had came up with these absurd thoughts and decided not to interfere.

"Come on now! How can a bouquet of flowers change the way you are? You are trying to be someone you are not and I think you are taking this relationship to the extremes. Furthermore, are you really serious about that brat?"

This was probably one of the worst ideas that Atobe could have conjured up, but this was Echizen Ryoma that Atobe had his eyes on for a long time because all of the poems that were read to him at bedtime seems to have boosted his passion for love. However, many newcomers at Hyoutei academy feels that this captain isn't acting normally. Furthermore, Ryoma was everything to him since they have fought as rivals and as friends.

"Yes, I am very serious about that brat because when I first met him, I knew at that moment that we would start bonding together since this is our time to shine. Sure he was in America for quite a while, but since he is here, he still thinks this is all a bunch of fantasy. But I see it as a reality because that kid needs to understand what it means to see the light since we do go back quite a long way. However, he only sees this as a sign of friendship and not a date. Well I have the power to change that." Smiled Atobe.

"Okay, I can see that you are either confused or delusional." Shishido paused as he strikes down 7 pins before recording his score on the control panel. "I think you have been reading too much Shakespeare and also your boasts and rants tells me that you are not really in love with Echizen, are you?"

"Who says I was not in love with him? I've laid eyes on that kid ever since we played in the Kanto tournament. Furthermore, I can see that kid has potential since he has shown me the importance of tennis. Furthermore, if only he will accept my love for him, it will make things a lot easier." Continued Atobe.

"Since when did Echizen start accepting your love? Do you realize that brat is going to call you a pervert and a stalker?" asked a shocked Choutaro.

"That does not matter, as long as I don't make him wear any dresses. However, his perception tells me that he has not made a decision on when that love will happen. As long as his dreams have innocent slumbers, I will make him mine one of these days." 

This could get out of hand as Shishido decided that he should step over to where Choutaro was before everyone else calls him a pervert in public since atobe has indeed turned into someone that Hyoutei does not know anymore. Furthermore, Shishido can't even comprehend what exactly his captain was really thinking. However, there weren't any arguments between the brat and the captain since they had gotten along really well. Furthermore, the evidence of them having dinner at the amusement park has been justified since the word "date" was still hanging through his head.

Maybe there is video evidence? Thought Shishido, but he didn't want to hear anymore of this since Echizen was getting hot in the bowling game thus far. Furthermore, he was not about to let that brat beat him since they are rivals on the tennis court and the bowling alley.

"Brat, how did you get so good at this game anyway?" asked Choutaro.

"When I was here at the bowling alley with my sempais, I saw them knocking the pins down and I learned from the best. So therefore, I decided to take a crack at this game." Said Ryoma.

"Really? Wow I am quite impressed with your skills, Echizen. But if you are really not dating Atobe, you were invited to this place because the game attracted your attention right?"

"You can say that, yes. However, Atobe also invited me and the rest of you guys to play pool later on this week. I am assuming that you are up for it?"

"Honestly, Atobe has been acting crazy over you ever since he sent out those invites to his house for a party and now he is issuing challenges for other schools? How come this guy gets to be so popular and narcissist at the same time?" protested Shishido.

"That is a king's secret! Ore-sama will never reveal his secrets to you guys!" he then laughed like crazy and continued his bowling streak while the silver pair looked on in confusion.

"Something is definitely not right about our captain." Said Shishido nervously

"He is acting like he is obsessed with that Seigaku brat." Agreed Choutaro. But Echizen didn't seem to care since he could only wink at the captain who waved back.

Elsewhere, in the control room, Inui and the others are watching carefully to see what will happen here since the kid seems to be giving the silver pair a run for their money at bowling. Furthermore, the others are rather impressed with Echizen's control of the bowling ball. However, they are still wondering how this game ended up as a competition between two lovers and the silver pair.

"How on earth did Atobe force Echizen to join this competition anyway?" asked Kevin.

"Probably because of the love stories that he has been reading throughout the night. I think that could be the reason why he was falling for your student. I have to admit, Atobe may be an idiot, but he is no fool. In fact, if you take a closer look, our captain was up all night thinking about Echizen and how he does not want the kid to leave his side. Furthermore, I can't tell what he is really planning. Therefore,, you might never know how unpredictable Atobe really is." Said Yuushi.

"You've got to be kidding me! How long have they been together?" continued Kevin.

"It's been going on for almost a week since he's always keeping a close eye on Echizen because whenever that kid asks for a match, he will just call it a date no matter how he looks at it. I just wish that he would just focus on other people instead of just Echizen." Continued Yuushi.

"So what he said to the Rikkai Dai team was all true? Oh boy! Looks like Echizen is definitely robbing the cradle." Grumbled Kevin

Ryoma then turned to the camera and said, "Atobe and I are not on a date, we are just hanging out at the bowling alley because he cares about me. He only invited me here so that I can show off my bowling skills. Furthermore, Kevin, this loud-mouthed peacock still thinks of me as his friend because he cares about me."

"Brat! Ore-sama will make you take those words back and I will beat you in this game! You will see!" shouted Atobe with an evil grin.

"You're on! But if I lose then, what will happen?" asked Ryoma.

"You will do the honor of kissing me. I am being serious here!" bellowed the king.

Oh Shit! Now the King of Hyoutei is asking the prince to kiss him? This is going to create a lot of tension towards the two tennis prodigies and I don't think the rest of Seigaku would want to see this.

As the match continued, Ryoma managed a score of 273 in the first five rounds while Atobe was far ahead of him by 130 points. However, this was not over since the tennis prodigy had bowled over 4 spares and 2 strikes in the first 5 rounds. Furthermore, Ryoma was not about to give up that easily since he still has a chance to get back in the game. But when the final round was up, the seigaku prince was out of breath since he couldn't catch up to his rival and lover.

"Man that was too intense, Atobe. I think you've been getting stronger every day. You know, I might have beaten you at tennis because bowling not as much." Said Ryoma while taking a sip of his water.

"Ore-sama thinks you gave up too easily because you are no match for me. Now then, I do believe you owe me a kiss as promised. Don't hold back." Smiled Atobe.

"Wait, I never promised you that! I am not a girl!" protested Ryoma.

"Don't be silly, I had to honor the promise for you because I love you with all my heart. So you probably should try and cooperate with me. I won't violate you and I hope we can come to an understanding here." Continued Atobe as he grabbed ryoma by his waist and kissed him on the forehead while hugging him tightly. At that moment, Shishido and choutaro looked on and fell to the ground, fully embarrassed. Elsewhere, in the control room Oshitari had to cover his face and tried to restrain himself from laughing too much. Everyone else in the room had blushed looks on their faces while Inui recorded the data on Echizen and Atobe.

Soon, the silver pair walked over towards Atobe since neither of them found that attractive. Even Shishido was annoyed at how Atobe had treated Ryoma like royalty since he had reached his boiling point.

"Damn you! Bastard! What kind of a fucking bet was that you orchestrated? Do you know what sort of trouble you could get yourself into?" shouted Ryo.

"I had a reason to kiss him and I didn't intend to violate the kid in any way. Furthermore, he said he likes me so I had to make this pure and simple. This is still a date after all so don't worry, this was not a sex scene."

Ryo vein popped.

"The hell it isn't! You're the one that should be worried, you sicko! Kissing ryoma like that! What the hell has gotten into you today? First you make Ryoma sleep in your house and now you kissed him right in front of us? What's next, you're going to ask for his hand in marriage?"

"Ore-sama did no such thing. And plus, if I wanted to marry him, it would be a waste of time. However, we both have a strong bond together as friends. Remember when I said that I found him so attractive? Well, Ryoma has trouble admitting that to me so I decided to give him a little push."

"Oh Come on! Since when did you become such an expert on relationships? What is it about him that makes you fall for him? You are taking this love thing the wrong way!" grumbled Oshitari to himself.

"Look, Ryoma might not be that strong in bowling, but one of these days, you could be burdened with a lot of responsibilities that you are not qualified to handle with him. I don't know where you got the impression that Ryoma has what it takes to handle dates, but to me, he is not really falling for it." Continued Choutaro.

"YES! THANK YOU! Finally someone agreed with me!" thought Kevin.

"Who said that he wasn't falling for me? Ore-sama knows what is going on inside Echizen's mind and I will see to it that my affection can keep his mind focused on me. As Ryoma's trusted brother and lover, I will protect him in any way possible because Tezuka-buchou didn't want to waste the effort of taking care of the kid himself. So, I had to step in and take action because Tezuka played a great big role in setting me up on this date. Remind me to thank him personally." He then laughed while rubbing Ryoma's hair.

At that point, Ryo was so frustrated that he could explode at any moment. However, he breathed a sigh of disappointment that his words didn't go through Atobe's head. However, he will try and talk with yukimura to get this situation resolved. Ryoma was getting ready to head back to his own place when the limo approached.

"Are you planning to stay at my house for dinner?" asked Atobe.

"I think I will pass this time, but thank you for a great evening." Said Ryoma as he bowed gracefully.

"No need to thank me. I enjoyed your company, but you must let me send you back to your house." Smiled Atobe as he opened the car door for his prince.

"I have to remind you, we should not let anyone else know what happened back there." Said Ryoma.

"Don't worry, no one will know. This is between us." Continued Atobe. However, Ryoma could only hear a groaning sound coming from Shishido and his hissing "Atobe, you bastard! That is not what I meant!"

As the car arrived at Ryoma's place, he thanked Atobe for the ride and said good night to his lover before entering his house. Once inside, he could see Karupin nudging at his feet and his legs and decided to play with him for a while.

"Brat! Welcome home! I trust that your date was successful?" asked Nanjiro.

"It was so amazing, I felt like the luckiest guy in the world to fall for a man like Atobe!" boasted ryoma.

"really? you fall in love with that royal pain-in the ass kid from Hyoutei? Tell me what did you do to him? Oyaji wants to issue him a challenge before I can decide if he is worthy enough to be your boyfriend!" boomed Nanjiro

"Oyaji, we are not boyfriends, we are just mutual friends from school and he only invited me to go bowling with him and, if I tell you what he did, will you call off the challenge?" continued Ryoma.

"I am listening." Said Nanjiro while crossing his arms.

"Atobe kissed me as part of his condition after I lost at bowling."

At that moment, Nanjiro jaw dropped to the floor after hearing the word "kiss" from his son. He then placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and hugged him like crazy.

"NO WAY! He kissed you? Well, this is quite a surprise! I didn't know that kid had it in for you! Congratulations! This calls for a celebration! Rinko-chan, pour some wine for our son, won't you?"

Ryoma couldn't even believe what his father was telling him as he quickly placed his hand over his father's mouth to prevent him from saying anything else.

"Are you crazy!? You know I am too young to drink beer!" protested Ryoma.

"Don't worry, when I was your age, I was drunk all the time and didn't know what I was thinking. So this is your chance to man up. After all Inui told me that you drank his special vegetable juice to prove your worth at Seigaku. This is your chance to show the world that you are ready for the next phase of love!" grinned his father.

"Oh my god! Like I said, this was only a date, and we were not in love!" continued Ryoma. But his father didn't listen to him. Once Ryoma had some wine in his cup, his father placed the cup in his son's mouth and poured all the contents down his stomach. At that moment, Ryoma almost vomited since the taste was so bitter.

"Well, son! Congrats on passing the first test. I need to you to drink at least 2 more cups before you sleep!"

"Don't count on it, old fart!" shouted Ryoma.

"This is for your own good! Now drink up!" said Nanjiro. It took almost 30 minutes for kid to finish the last two cups before he was finally out cold.

Atobe was going to have a field day with Ryoma when he tells them about his drinking habits.


	7. Situation Assessment

By the next morning, Ryoma did not know what happened last night after the bowling competition. However, he could still see his spotted Himalayan cat sleeping next to him. As it woke up, the cat pounced on Ryoma and tapped his head to wake him up or else he will be late to practice. However, today was Saturday and this was his chance to sleep in for a few more hours.

Elsewhere at Atobe's villa, the captain was humbled to have spent such a lovely evening with his date. However, he realized that today was the party at his home and that he didn't have time to sleep. Once he woke up to his usual morning routine of coffee and the newspaper, he called his butlers to reserve a special surprise for his date and the rest of the guests later this evening because they all got invitations.

By 10am, Ryoma had gotten up, but he seemed to be feeling weird after that shot of alcohol last night. He noticed that the way he was walking was different and that his memory must have fizzled out on him.

"What the hell happened to me last night? Why did I drink so much beer?" He thought to himself as he sat down for breakfast after brushing his teeth.

"ohayo gozaimasu, ryoma-kun! Did you sleep well last night?" asked Rinko

"Ohayo, ka-san! Yes,, I did. But unfortunately, I couldn't remember what happened to me after drinking so much stuff last night." Ryoma paused to take a sip of water to get everything back in order.

"Did that old fart poured beer for you last night? He should have known better!" said a suspicious Rinko as she rushed outside and without warning, she attacked her husband Nanjiro while holding him on the ground.

"What is the meaning of this, Rinko Chan? Get the hell off me!" protested Nanjiro.

"Did you give Ryoma Sake last night? You know he is far too young to drink!" shouted Rinko.

"What's wrong with Ryoma drinking sake? It's a great way to build up his self-esteem for his date with a mysterious boyfriend of his!" said Nanjiro nervously.

"You were foolish enough to give him sake and furthermore, if you wanted to boost his self-esteem, juice would have been better!" shouted Rinko as she chased after her drunken husband all around the house. Ryoma only sweat-dropped at the situation and decided to let them be since he had other things to do. Once the kid gathered up his tennis equipment, he headed towards Seigaku, but no one was there. So he could only assume that they were at Tachibana's place discussing about Ryoma's date and decided to head over there.

As Ryoma knocked on the door of Tachibana siblings, a girl appeared and said, "Who is it?"

"The tennis prodigy, Echizen Ryoma. Can I come in?" he asked?

"Of course, Ryoma-kun! Your friends are waiting for you. They were discussing about the date that you had with Atobe last night. I hope you had fun?" asked Keppei.

"Yes, I certainly did, but you saw what happened between me and Atobe right?"

"We certainly did, he kissed you, didn't he? You sly devil! Is he really this obsessed over you? I mean look at how humble he really is, he probably wants to spend more time with you because he feels that you are special to him in many ways. Now, I need to ask. Did he really initiate this date with you?" asked Oishi

"Well, he shot me the text saying that he has feelings for me so it's true. At this point, I don't know if I can ever reject him since he follows me around like a broken record. Furthermore, we have been summoned to his villa later this evening for a victory gala and Atobe is planning to make me dance." Continued Ryoma with a blush.

"Are you serious, Koshimae? How crazy obsessed is that captain from Hyoutei?" shouted Kintaro.

"I think he must have memorized a lot of love poems and that could be the reason why he is acting like this. Frankly, I have tried to calm him down and even reminding him not to quote Shakespeare too much. But he wouldn't listen to me because he is too busy preparing for their next match at a pool lounge." Groaned Yuushi.

"So I take it that the Hyoutei captain will not rest until Echizen opens up his true feelings towards that diva right? I also feel the same way about Momo because he always loves dating me!" giggled An as she hugged Momo while he was blushing.

Kamio sweat-dropped and had to tug at An's sleeve to keep her away from the stalker of Seigaku since he couldn't even stand the actions from Atobe.

"O-chibi was pretty daring to kiss that crazy loon last night, I mean what the hell? They were bowling and all of a sudden that loud-mouthed peacock asks our little brat to kiss him? Where did that crazy idea come from anyway?" asked Eiji.

"I think he offered it up all of a sudden for no particular reason. I saw the whole thing myself and boy, I nearly fell to the ground laughing. Furthermore, I couldn't understand that dude either. He could either be crazy or just full of himself. But either way, I think Ryoma isn't quite ready to throw in the towel just yet." Continued Kenya.

As Ryoma walked in, everyone noticed that he was not himself lately since he was acting a bit strange. Furthermore, Echizen was somehow cleaning off the fur from people's jerseys before dancing like a fool in front of his teammates and classmates. Everyone was confused as to why he came in like this.

"Echizen, are you feeling all right? You are not your usual self today." Said Inui

"I am fine, Inui-sempai. In fact, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to be dating the captain of Hyoutei and to me, it feels like that I have gotten something good out of this date." Grinned Ryoma.

"Really like what?" asked Kintaro.

"The kissing and the hugging part for starters, then Atobe wanted to show me how good he was at pool as promised. I didn't think he was serious, but then I realized this was not a joke. I had to take his offer because he still thinks it's a date. I had no intention of falling in love with him, but he demands that I show him my cute side so I had no other choice." Continued Ryoma.

"Seriously!? How much did you have to drink last night, dude? We can tell that you were not walking normally this morning and we can still smell alcohol. I think you need some water." Said Kippei as he and Yuushi dragged Ryoma towards the couch while Oishi poured him some water.

"I didn't drink that much and I was not drunk. I think my old man is to blame for that. However, that isn't important right now. Furthermore, we need to get ready for Atobe's big gala at his house later this evening and we cannot be late. Also, if I need to be ready for pool I need to dress formally."

"No Echizen, you need to rest for a bit so that the alcohol can subside. Your memory seems to be a bit fuzzy. The party can wait." Said Oshitari.

"Are you sure? I think my father must have drugged me with the beer last night." said Ryoma sheepishly.

"Dude, you know you are too young to drink right? Sometimes I don't even know what your old man was thinking but this is going to the extremes. Anyway, just lie down for a while and let the alcohol subside." said Gakuto.

Echizen didn't need the rest, but decided to comply anyway since there is no way he can attend a party after drinking wine last night. Furthermore, Momo and Kaidoh were still wondering if Atobe's actions went a little too far. But at the same time, they were concerned about Echizen's safety. At this point, no one knows what keigo was really up to after following echizen every step of the way since nobody tried to stop him from chasing after Ryoma. The fact is, Atobe was not about to disappoint his fans when he is out on a date with Ryoma and eventually, it will add more fuel to the fire for Hyoutei Academy.

"Since Echizen did get a kiss from atobe, I guess there is no stopping the date. Furthermore, I think it would be best if we let Echizen handle this on his own for a little while since Atobe has gotten a lot of strange ideas lately." Said Kamio.

"I see, so Atobe has his ways of making Echizen to get closer to him. I think those two are sharing a common bond together as friends and as lovers." Said Ibu

"Since when did lonely Shinji become such a romance expert?" asked Yuuta.

"I think that he and Ryoma are considered rivals so they both are trying to compete for love with Atobe. This could get interesting since I had asked Shinji to join with Ryoma on his quest for love." Said Fuji with a wide grin.

"You are such a sadistic brother, you know that?" frowned Yuuta.

"Atobe is going to be paying me handsomely if this date goes well and I have promised that he will cut off some of Gakuto's hair as a part of his bet. Furthermore, what I did is for the good of Seigaku and for Hyoutei because I want Ryoma to spend more time with his new lover." Continued Fuji.

"You're kidding me, since when did you start working for the king of Hyoutei? And plus, you are only going to make me feel uncomfortable when you say that!" protested Yuuta.

"Oh, don't worry! I am sure Ryoma has no problems with our conditions as long as he is having fun with his lover." Said Fuji as he patted his brother on the back. However, everyone else feels that Fuji has gone from a sweet guy to a person that they don't know and they also feel that Atobe has done the same thing. Furthermore, someone has to resolve matters with echizen before any action will be taken. But since Atobe still feels that he can make this successful, no one would be able to get in his way.

By the time Ryoma was finished with his nap, it was close to 4 pm and he could hear a knock at the door. It must be atobe coming to pick him up for shopping in the Tokyo district. As the door opened, everyone was shocked to see him dressed so beautifully and casually because this was the first time that they saw him so well-prepared for an event like this.

"Ryoma, are you ready for some shopping?" asked Atobe.

"Yes, of course. I am ready when you are." Replied Ryoma as he changed from his tennis uniform into his casual clothes. Everyone in the room are shocked to see them dressed like this since they're going out in style and this makes the girls come crawling back for Atobe's autograph.

"Looks like our young Ryoma has finally opened up his heart to his boyfriend,, nya!" whined Eiji.

"We're just friends okay? Not lovers!" protested Ryoma.

"I am sure they are already aware of your intentions. Besides though, I want you to look your best for the party later on tonight since this is our chance to dance the night away. We cannot underestimate our opponents." Smiled atobe.

"You have underestimated the silver pair and even they know you are a bit crazy. Honestly I don't know what you got up your sleeve, but we shall see just how good you really are at dancing." Said Ryoma with an evil glint.

"Ore-sama never backs down from a challenge. You got guts for taking on this dance competition. And I didn't underestimate Shishido and Choutaro, those two are just not good enough to beat me at bowling. So I doubt that they can even stand a chance at dancing. Besides though, the only person that can win this is you and me, partner!"

"Tsch! Whatever you say. But I still think you are up to something. After all,, I can see right through your eyes that you were given the okay from Fuji to let this date go through. Just what are you really planning?" asked Ryoma.

"Ore-sama will never tell you that because that is between Fuji and me. You don't need to worry. Also, let me tell you that shopping will take your mind off the alcoholic drinks and we do not want you to be drunk like what happened earlier this morning. I have heard that your father had given you wine last night. I hope that little nap cleared your head?"

"Yes, Atobe-sama. I don't have a headache, okay? Why are you so worried about me? It's not like I have a drinking habit." Snorted Ryoma.

"Just checking to make sure my little lover does not get into too much trouble with the law. Furthermore, your father has got nerve to fill your body with drinks that are not healthy for you. He should know better." Re[lied Atobe as he took Ryoma into his car and drove off.

As the gang arrives at the shopping center, they are planning to get hats and canes for tonight's shindig. Elsewhere, Kirihara, Tanishi, and the captain of Higa Middle school were watching with interest from the alleyway since they had never seen such good looking gentlemen out on the streets. But as they saw the two enter the store, they noticed that the faces looked very familiar.

"Isn't that Echizen Ryoma and Keigo Atobe? What are they doing here?" asked Tanishi.

"In case you haven't heard, Atobe is dating Echizen Ryoma and he has been falling for that kid from Seigaku ever since they laid eyes on each other. Furthermore, Atobe has started to show feelings for Ryoma because he feels that the kid is his boyfriend."

"Atobe is dating WHO?" shouted Tanishi. However, Kite and Kirihara both covered his mouth to prevent them from being spotted.

"You cannot talk that loud, fat-ass! If those two had heard you say that, we could blow our cover!" whispered Kite

"Sorry about that! And I am not fat. Anyway, who is Atobe dating?"

"According to my data book, Echizen Ryoma is the kid's name since everyone calls him a tennis prodigy. One day, he gets a letter from Atobe telling him that he is madly in love with the kid and wants to take him out on a date. However, Ryoma feels that his maniac boyfriend is playing a big joke and wants to call the date off, but Atobe refuses to back down since this kid is the one that will be together with him forever." Said Kite.

"Are you kidding me? Out of all the people here in Tokyo, that narcissistic prick from Hyoutei is dating that loud-mouthed, disrespectful brat from Seigaku? My god! Has anyone tried to talk Atobe into reconsidering his plan?" asked tanishi

"Unfortunately, Atobe refuses to listen to any of our advice since he feels that the kid from Seigaku will win his heart since he made a bet not too long ago." Replied Kirihara.

"What kind of a bet?" asked Kite

"Well, he said that if Ryoma can successfully kiss Atobe and date him, then he will promise to cut off Gakuto and Yuushi's hair. But if not, then Ryoma has to transfer to Hyoutei permanently where he will be a part of their tennis club now."

Kite and tanishi were shocked and nearly jaw-dropped.

"Are you serious? Ryoma has been a pillar of Seigaku for a while now and you are saying that he could be a part of Hyoutei academy pretty soon? Damn that Atobe! What the hell was he possibly thinking pulling off a stunt like this? I think we should probably warn Ryoma to think this through." Said Kite while adjusting his glasses.

"Unfortunately, Echizen has made it clear that he is not dating Atobe and they are not boyfriends. He tells us that Atobe is just a mutual friend and they don't have a love relationship. What's more, that prick has invited Ryoma to stay at his house several days ago and he has been bathing that kid and tucking him to sleep at night."

"This is just ridiculous! Why didn't Ryoma stop himself from leaving Atobe? I thought that they were just having a tennis match or something, but just letting that kid into his house is totally weird. I mean sure, I can understand that they have a good relationship. But, this is just too much for Ryoma to handle. I think it's time that we need to put a stop to atobe's schemes before it goes too far." Said Kite.

"Too late, everyone already knows that they are dating and they have been seeing each other daily and on weekends too." Groaned Kirihara

"Well, then I will have to meet with Atobe at Rikkaidai later on to ensure that they go their separate ways. But we have to ensure that the lovebirds do not know what exactly we are planning since we cannot ruin their party tonight." Said Kite

"How did you know about the party?" asked Tanishi

"Simple, we got the invitations from Atobe himself and it would be a good chance for us to spy on their little date to see what exactly they are up to." Finished Kite.

Back in the store, Ryoma and Atobe have gathered their dancing gear and other supplies for the guests before taking off for their pool game. This date was not even close to being over yet because the Hyoutei captain wants to show Echizen how skilled he really is. Furthermore, the pool game will be a competition to see which one has the best dance moves for tonight's party. At this rate, Atobe and Ryoma are going to propose a showdown for the guest since they will be playing for consolation prizes. Even Ryoma was happy that he had a chance to shop with his lover for the first time.

"Are you ready, Ryoma?" asked Atobe.

"I always come prepared for an event like this. Let's not disappoint the guests tonight." Replied Ryoma as they donned their sunglasses. However, they noticed three strange looking monks right in front of them.

"Who on earth are you guys?" asked Ryoma

"Don't tell me you have forgotten about us? You were responsible for beating Kei in that tennis match back in Naniwa!" yelled Kite

"So, it seems that Higa Junior High is here as well? What brings you to Tokyo?" asked Atobe.

"We wanted to see if you were really on a date and-" before he could finish his sentence, Kei and Kirihara placed their hands over Kite's mouth in order to prevent them from spoiling their plan.

"If you are saying that Ryoma is dating me, you are right. So I do recommend that you join us for a dance tonight." Said Atobe while grinning.

"Not before we challenge you to a rematch!" said Tanishi. 

"We don't have time for this, please move out of the way." Said Ryoma.

"I don't think so! If you beat us in this rematch, then we will go to your party. But if we win, you will call the date off immediately." Proposed Kirihara.

Ryoma and Atobe were confused at what they just said, but decided to comply anyway since this could be their chance to show off their tennis skills. As the team arrived at the court, Kirihara said, "This will be a 1 game, 1 set match between Higa chuu vs Hyoutei/Seigaku pair. The winner of this match will be allowed to participate in a dance off at Atobe's villa. Also why did you send me an invite?"

"I wanted to see if you are good at dancing." replied Atobe.

"I don't dance very well. But we shall see.  
"I can show you all the best moves.:

"Okay, I will definitely be there. Anyway, players are you ready? Begin!"

This was going to be a good night for dancing.


	8. Dance Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyoutei's First Date
> 
> By: NarutoandBleach
> 
> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.

[Dance Off]

As the match between Atobe/Ryoma vs Kite/Tanishi begins, something about this was definitely not adding up. Furthermore, why did Higa Junior High get involved and why did they ask for a match in order to see who is better at dancing? But anyhow, Keigo and Ryoma are starting to dominate in this match, thereby putting a lot of pressure on their opponents. In their first two sets, they won 2 games so far.

"How did you guys get this strong?" said Kite as he stopped to catch his breath after taking so many beatings.

"We practice almost every weekend, so this was a good chance for you guys to get involved in this match. Furthermore, Ore-sama wanted to see how good you guys are." Said Atobe.

"So, you think you can defeat us this easily at this early stage of the game? Don't count us out just yet! This match is just getting started and we won't be beaten by you guys!" protested Kite.

"Mada Mada Dane! You are almost at your limits and you still wanted to keep going?" said Ryoma as he paused for a drink of water.

"We got plenty of energy left anyway. Let's keep going!" called Kite

As the game continued, Ryoma and Atobe were dominating this game without letting their opponents take full advantage of the court since they were certain to win the dance competition one way or another. However, Kite and tanishi were using so much energy that they could barely keep up. By the time the game was finished, atobe and Ryoma won the game 3-2 without any complications.

"That's how we always will win, ahn brat?" said Atobe.

"Yup, we are unbeatable as partners, Monkey king!" 

"Don't call me that, brat! We are still on a date." Replied atobe as he high-fived Ryoma.

"Whatever, we are not lovers! That's all I will say," he just smiled back at his partner before gathering their things up for the dance later that night. Furthermore, they shook their opponents' hands after the game and decided that they can face those guys again at any time.

"Thanks for a good game, Kite. I will see you guys at the dance. Make sure you bring your guys around and drinks too since we need Ryoma to be in good shape. Furthermore, beers are not required here since his father drugged ryoma with strong alcohol last night. Furthermore, my sole responsibility is to make sure Ryoma drinks healthy and safe." Continued atobe.

"Sure, anytime. But we will beat you guys next time around. Furthermore, we will be at the dance party, but Yukimura would want to have a talk with you after the dance is over since he is getting worried about why you haven't resolved things with Echizen yet."

"Don't worry, Kite. Things between me and Echizen are fine. I mean it's not like we were using drugs or anything."

"Monkey King! That's just overkill!" protested Ryoma.

"Ore-sama reminds you that you refer to me as the king. And also I am so sorry if I have offended you." Said Atobe as he rubbed Ryoma's face tightly.

"That hurts Keigo!" groaned Ryoma. But Atobe just laughed as they continued on their way to the showers before preparing for their big competition in the evening hours. Furthermore, that tennis match had boosted their self-esteem because this will give them the opportunity to show off their dance moves while continuing their quest for love.

"Atobe, can I ask you something?" said Ryoma

'What is it?" he stated.

"Why do you think that I am your type? I thought for sure that you had fallen for some other people by now." Said Ryoma. 

Atobe looked at him for a moment and was confused. Why did he ask that question out of the blue? Ryoma knows for sure that Atobe should have found a new person to fall for him by now, but to be honest, he only wants Ryoma for himself since this kid can make the captain happy.

"Well, because, ever since you laid eyes on me, I feel complete that you are around, you know? Do you remember Hiroshi Wakato from Josei Shonan? He has laid eyes on his coach and wanted to date her, but he was rejected and so he decided to go after Yamabuki's Sengoku instead since that guy has been unlucky at getting girls to fall for him. Therefore, Ryoma, you are my only hope that we can be together forever." Said Atobe with a blush.

"Sengoku isn't always that lucky because I feel that he will never be able to get a girlfriend in his time. Besides, you and I are not going to get married. Yes we can be together as friends but marriage could be out of the question." Said ryoma as he took his distance from Atobe.

"I can understand that you feel embarrassed about this, but this is only pretend marriage. I didn't really mean that we are going to actually do it right now, but in the near future. Right now this is only practice in order to prepare for our future together." Chuckled atobe.

"I think you have been reading too much romance novels lately, you need to let those go and focus on tennis. Imean if you keep thinking that this whole love thing will come to you, it wouldn't work." Said Ryoma.

"What do you mean? Of course I know how love works. You just don't know where I am coming from. Furthermore, my knowledge of love and romance goes back into the days that I started reading Shakespeare and D.H. Lawrence novels and those books have given me the plan that I need to get you into the spotlight. Besides though, this dance could mean that we both are going to show every single one of our opponents just how good we really are."

"Okay, I think I am going to distance myself because you're not teaching me anything here. However, I think that if we can dance the night away, we might put on a great show together." Said Ryoma nervously.

"You're nervous about the whole love affair right? I understand, but we can take it one step at a time though. You don't have to worry about anything since I got this all covered. Besides, all you have to do is follow my lead and do what I do at the villa tonight." Continued Atobe.

"Of course, but can you please turn the other way, I don't want you to look at my naked body." Said Ryoma as he finished showering. "Furthermore, Yukimura and Sanada are dancing together as well, aren't they?"

"I will not violate you as promised and yes, but I am sure that I got bigger plans in store for them since I made the Rikkaidai leaders to be our cheerleading squads for tonight's dance. I think they look perfect in the suits that I got for them." Chuckled atobe.

Elsewhere, Sanada and Yukimura nearly jaw dropped after Atobe sent them the photos of the suits on their cell phones. Sanada vein popped and he nearly wanted to smash his phone, but Yukimura stopped him from doing so. Eventually they would give in and become the laughing stock of their own school. Furthermore, the people in the control room were laughing like crazy, especially Oishi and Kikumaru. Also Momo and Kaido saw the whole thing as well and snickered.

"Keigo Atobe, you will pay dearly for that. Just you wait, I will beat you in that dance competition!" shouted Sanada as he walked out of the locker room, slamming the door behind him. Kirihara and the rest could only laugh at that situation before yukimura calmed them down.

"I think the fuku-buchou and Yukimura-sempai looks great in those suits" said Momo.

"I think the dress suits you better, mamushi." Hissed Kaido.

"What the hell! I am not wearing that damn dress!" shouted Momo.

"Maybe the cinderella role fits you better, you idiot!" shouted kaidoh

"Are you calling me an idiot, baka Kaidoh?"

"You are acting like an idiot! All I am saying is that you should wear the dress for the dance tonight."

Soon, both of them started fighting and the Oshitari cousins had to break them up before they could break the monitor and the film projector.

"Stop it you guys! It doesn't matter who wears the dress as long as we have a great time at the dance tonight, right cousin?" asked Kenya.

"Of course, my dearest cousin. But after seeing that photo, I don't know what to say. However, I can see that Atobe is definitely going off the deep end. Sometimes I don't know what goes through his head when he orchestrated the dresses. First he falls for Ryoma and now he is going after other people begging them to wear clothes for the dance. This scheme of his has to stop sooner or later." Groaned Yuushi

"I agree with you partner. You heard how Shishido tried his best to convince Atobe of making sure this date ends soon, but our captain just wants to keep going and ignore any advice we are giving him. Furthermore, that brat could be asking our captain's hand in marriage soon.

"Gakuto-sempai, Ryoma is not marrying Atobe and he told us on the phone that they are just hanging out together having a fun time. I am sure Atobe will be back to his normal self." Said Hiyoshi without looking up from his book that he was reading.

"When did you get here, Hiyoshi? I thought you were practicing your new technique in tennis." Said Kikumaru.

"Coach had to let me out early since he found out about Atobe's little date with that seigaku brat. At first he thought it was a joke, but when he got the text from Atobe, he had to invite himself to the dance immediately since he already knows that both are quite cheeky. Honestly, if Atobe really did go through all this trouble just for that kid, he has it all wrong. Besides, I couldn't imagine what Kevin would think if he saw this unfold?"

"I wouldn't go anywhere near Atobe's house and I think he has tortured my friend for far too long. So if no one else can stop him, I will visit him personally at Hyoutei and find out just what he is really doing after this dance is over. If I find out that he has been persuading Echizen to kiss his fan girls, I will kill him for that! Atobe's delusions are only going to cause more destruction within this world." Replied Kevin.

"Kevin, only you are capable of talking our captain out of this situation. Please do your best tomorrow, I am begging you!" whined Yuushi.

"I will do my best, but its not like Ryoma will ever back down from his lover." Said Kevin.

~/~

That night, Atobe had the house spotless and the tables set up with food, drinks and balloons. Also, there was a decoration banner that said,

 

WELCOME TO ATOBE'S VILLA GALA. THIS IS A DANCE COMPETITION SO DO YOUR BEST!

Everyone was shocked at the look of the banner and wondered how Atobe had picked a banner out like this. But none of them cared too much since they are here to show off their moves. Furthermore, Kite and tanishi had arrived with his entire tennis team since they are up for revenge after the beating they got from the tennis match earlier. Furthemore, they also got some good musical hits that might stiffen the competition as well.

"This music will definitely ensure us victory for tonight." Chuckled Kite.

"Definitely, and I am hoping that Kevin will put a stop to Atobe's madness once and for all since Ryoma has been through enough torture already." Said Tanishi.

Soon, fireworks sparked the night sky and the mirror ball glowed on the center stage as Atobe and Ryoma arrived with their suits donned. Everyone clapped their hands and started taking photos of the handsome couple. Finally, after the opening fanfare, Atobe stepped up to the mike and said, "Welcome to my Villa, everyone! Enjoy yourselves here since foods and drinks are waiting for you in the dining room. Also, before we start. Let me tell you that I have made a bet with my lover boy here."

"Need I remind you that we are only friends and—" Before ryoma could say anything, Atobe hugged him tightly while closing his mouth. "As I was saying, if my date pays off and this dance goes smoothly, you all will not have to practice for the next several weeks since I have convinced the coaches to give you guys a break. Furthermore, I told my boyfriend that if her can successfully kiss me, then I will promise to give Gakuto and Yuushi their special hair style. However, if I don't get what I want, then Ryoma will be a part of Hyoutei Academy permanently."

Everyone fell to the ground at that response from the captain while Ryo and kevin vein popped.

"Are you joking, Keigo? You are going to let Ryoma transfer directly to our school in the middle of a spring semester? What are you planning this time?" shouted Hiyoshi.

"I think it's a wonderful idea because I will have my club members look after him since we are the only ones that can be chosen as national champions for this year and I want Ryoma to lead us all the way since we will take him under our wing and give him moral support. Besides, we all know Ryoma will be pleased with the conditions."

"Seriously? You got to be shitting me! Since when did you start adding a kid to our tennis club? That brat could easily chew us out in less than 40 seconds. Also, if we did look after him daily, this could affect our schedules." Protested Shishido.

"I will take this into consideration since Monkey king here has done a lot for me and I wanted to thank him personally for the invite. Also, I love to see other schools since I always wanted to be an assistant coach. Besides, this isn't just about you guys, it's about me that can get you to be better tennis players. I know that I have beaten you guys many times, but I think it's time for me to stop playing tennis and coach you guys on improving your serves and returns." Said Ryoma proudly.

"Well, looks like my boyfriend has made up his mind. I wil have him coach the new guys that are playing tennis for the first time and so it will be up to you guys to show him around our school. Make him feel more comfortable in our environment and the school grounds."

"Atobe, have you lost it? You are expecting us to guide Ryoma through the coaching business? That is a very difficult task for all of us to do. We can only do the best we could, but this is too much for you to be asking of us! Please try to reconsider!" called Kirihara.

"Don't worry, I am sure that Ryoma will have help from the other coaches and the principals here. I will stand firmly at my decision. Anyway, on with the dance!" called Atobe.

As the music blasted throughout the radio, everyone started making their moves, including the two VIP dates on the stage. Elsewhere, the tennis magazine reporters were filming this event on their camera since this was their chance to show their company that this news could make the sports headlines. Furthermore, everyone here is fighting to get the grand prize of a vacation in Osaka and a spa resort.

"How did a mad genius like Atobe came up with an idea like this?" asked Mindy

"Who knows? Maybe his parents sponsored the event and they had to use their resources to get this party started. Who knows how rich this family really is?" said Wakato.

"This is a masterpiece! God, I have been dreaming of an event like this since I was a child. Now, I see ryoma right there and it makes me want to dance with him." Blushed the coach from josei Shonan. 

Every one of the students looked at her and was confused. Furthermore, she rushed towards Ryoma and took his hand and started making their move.

"You know, Echizen, I am proud of you for dating Atobe, but it would be better if I was your girlfriend because, I always have seen your stances and your abilities in tennis. I've seen your performance and it is magnificent!"

"Thanks, but Atobe still has his eyes on me and I don't know if I can double date." Said Ryoma

"Of course you can! I will show you how to truly dance your heart out." Said the coach as she grabbed ryoma by his waist and kissed him on the cheeks, leaving everyone shocked.

"What the hell is our coach doing?" asked Mindy.

"She just kissed that tennis prodigy from Seigaku." Replied his twin brother.

Soon, the coach had slipped off her coat and revealed her dress while grabbing Ryoma's hand and started rushing all around the dance floor. All of the students took photographs and video-taped the dance scene. Some of them wanted to learn from this kid since he was a dancing machine.

"Wow, I've never seen Ryoma like this before." Said Kamio.

"He sure knows how to impress the ladies. I am so proud of that ochibi!" wailed Eiji as he paused to dry the tears from his eyes.

Even atobe was surprised at what just happened, but he just shrugged it off and smiled at him. "Ryoma, you are learning well from what I have taught you. I think you have made all of us proud of your accomplishments and I think we are going to entrust the coaching job to you." He thought to himself as he took a sip of soda.

"Atobe." He didn't notice that yuushi was tapping his captain on the shoulder as he sat down on the chair. But then Atobe turned and poured some tea for his teammate and grabbed a chair so that they can watch in peace. Ryoma has indeed started to show off his true self since the alcohol had been cleared from his system after that fiasco from his house.

"What's up?" he asked.

"When did you teach Ryoma how to dance?" 

"I saw a movie of this once and it just gave me a great idea for the date tonight and thus, I called up my parents to organize this event tonight to see what sort of moves they have. And I am quite surprised that my plan paid off in the end." Smiled Atobe.

"yeah, but did you really have to force Ryoma to stay at our school? What if he is going to fall for the other tennis club members besides you?" continued Yuushi.

"Don't worry, I am sure the girls here would want a date from him besides me."

"Okay, but you are missing the point. Those girls at our school are not even interested in Ryoma." Continued Yuushi.

"I will find a way to convince them to date Echizen as long as they follow my plan." Grinned Atobe.

"Your plan won't have any successes, trust me. Also, why is Echizen dating that woman from Josei Shonan?" 

"I asked her to come here and show Echizen the dance moves because she also wanted in on the date. Therefore, I have set Ryoma up on a double date tonight as part of his little surprise present."

"You're crazy! There is no way that woman will fall for that brat!" shouted Yuushi

"I am not crazy, but this dance will have a winner soon, you'll see." finished Atobe.

Elsewhere, Inui and the others watched the dance unfolding on the monitor while setting up his special drink for the people that are eliminated from the competition. But he was still wondering how the seigaku pillar turned from a tennis player into a coach for Hyoutei Academy? This didn't make any sense at all. But he was certain to get to the bottom of this after the night is over.

This dance will have a winner soon and Kevin could easily put a stop to this.


	9. Confrontation and Surprises

As the dance continued throughout the night, everyone has either exhausted their energy from competition with the lovers on stage, the sadistic pair from Rikkaidai, and the loud-mouthed pair from Higa. Furthermore, no one seems to be able to keep up with the dance moves. Once the last piece of music is played, the only ones that were left standing were Kite/Kei pair, Sanada/Yukimura, and Atobe/Echizen since these three have been fighting fiercely for the first place trophy, but the people from Rikkaidai and Higa are at their limits already and decided to call it, leaving Atobe and Ryoma as the last pairs standing on the stage.

Once the music stopped, Atobe and Ryoma held onto each other before giving a bow and leaving the stage.

"Well, looks like we had some fierce competition, but those other people gave it all they got. I think I got to hand it to them, they really gave it their all." Said Ryoma.

"Ahn, but we ended up as the real winners of tonight's love fest, brat. So, I got to give them credit for trying. Furthermore, we managed to come out on top and we will do the same with the pool table. Anyway, let's clean up and get this party over and done with." Said Atobe gleefully.

As Yukimura and Sanada sat down for a quick drink of water, Kei was on the floor exhausted after dancing like crazy on the stage. Furthermore, Kirihara and another teammate from Higa cooled down the big fat slob while the rest of them drank orange juice at their seats. None of them could believe that Echizen and Atobe still have the strength to keep going even when everyone else didn't warm up before the dance started.

Elsewhere, Oshitari was watching with amusement while Inui recorded the data in his notebook since he could use this information to keep track of Echizen's progress. Furthermore, Renji's special drink had enabled most of the students to pass out after their wild party. Some of them barely could walk out the door afterwards so their tennis partners had to escort them home.

Once the dance was over, the music teacher from Hyoutei stepped up and presented the three team contestants with awards before announcing the first place winners being Ryoma and Atobe. Afterwards, everyone congratulated the duos for a job well done while Yukimura shook Ryoma's hand.

"You did great for a first time learner. But I promise you, the next time we meet, it will be at the tennis courts." Said Yukimura.

"I look forward to that day, Yukimura Buchou! Mada mada dane," said Ryoma as he sat down to drink his ponta. Sanada could only crack a smile while Shishido and kevin could only shoot death glares at Atobe since he glued his attention only on Ryoma and no one else. Furthermore, Yukimura smiled softly that the kid still had great respect for the Rikkaidai captain after his defeat since he had no ill will towards him

"That brat has learned everything that I've taught him, right Sanada?" said Atobe while smiling.

"Yes, but I won't falter next time. Still though, where did that brat learn how to dance anyway?" asked Sanada

"I think he must have been practicing during his younger years at school, but who knows?" Still though it was a good competition. We gave you a run for your money, but you came up short."

"Next time we have a contest like this, I will be sure to get stronger. Also stop to flirt with Ryoma." Said Sanada as he shook Atobe's hands before sitting down next to Ryoma and grabbing a ponta.

"I'm afraid not. Ryoma is still my lover after all. I cannot give up on him." finished Keigo.

"So, Atobe still has his eyes for you I assume?" asked Sanada.

"I am afraid so, it seems that he won't leave me alone since his affairs with me are going through the roof. However, this has nothing to do with my best friend Kevin or Shishido-sempai for that matter since they had no idea how far that captain will go. They still think that their captain has gone a bit off track since he is less focused on tennis and more focused on finding love." Continued Ryoma.

"I see, so it seems that Atobe has you dead to rights eh? Honestly, you are still too soft and by letting him win, you are making yourself an easy target for the girls. I tried to convince you to abandon this madness, but you took it upon yourself that this whole love scheme will keep following you around like a lost puppy, am I right?" said Sanada.

Ryoma gave the former captain a confused look, "What do you mean? You know that's not true. Atobe's affairs will be his own undoing since he does make foolish attempts to try and get me to confess my feelings to him, but spending time with him seems to get me to understand why he is doing for me. I feel that each time when I am around him, it just gets me to understand that he truly does care about me for all the right reasons. Try to relax, it's not like he is trying to get me to fondle with his body parts."

"I know that, but still, are you sure you should be dating a guy like him? He is going to continue to spread his innocuous details like wildfire if this goes onward. Plus, I don't want you entangled in a relationship that will go down in flames. You could be doomed." Warned Sanada.

Ryoma placed his reassuring arm around sanada and said, "Don't worry, I am not really going to transfer to Hyoutei at any point if this keeps up. I think my so called boyfriend has been drinking a little too much tonight, If I had to guess, his lunatic rants must have hit his head hard." Sanada could only smile at that remark and breathed a sigh of relief that Echizen will be able to handle this.

"That good for nothing jackass thinks he got this handled? We will just see about that!" thought Kevin as he glared at his best friend with a death stare. That bastard had so much explaining to do for tomorrow since he was not living at his father's place as he had his ways to escape from Seigaku. However, he noticed that there were four waiters that are part of Atobe's food service members who lectured Ryoma in words that he couldn't comprehend. Many of them were like "Lay off from Atobe" or "Take a break from the date and rest up." However, Ryoma feels that he could use those phrases to his advantage because there have been weird things happening so far.

Well whatever shit Ryoma has put himself in, it will get ugly. Besides, Ryoma never told Kevin that he was dancing with Atobe despite the fact that they are friends! Elsewhere, Eiji and Oishi just laughed and didn't care what happens now since Ryoma has been called a cupid since he was deeply attached to Atobe. As for the tennis prodigy, he couldn't care what anyone thinks as long as his so called rival wasn't out seducing him in bed at 3 am in the morning. Furthermore, kevin Smith has seen a clear picture of these two lovebirds and would love to give the Tannhauser Server a piece of his mind.

"Ryoma, what the hell were you thinking going after Atobe in the first place?" shouted Kevin.

"Hey, it was not my idea! The whole thing was Atobe's fault. So I supported his decision and we made the date official." grunted Ryoma.

"Very fucking funny, Echizen! Do you know how many fucking hours I had to fly over here? I see you being hooked up to someone that defeated me in the tennis selection matches previously. So, are you going to introduce me to your so called boyfriend now that the dance is over? I would love to meet him!" he then grabbed Ryoma's tuxedo when he was not paying attention.

"I do believe you met him before during the tennis selection matches since he is right there next to Choutaro and Gakuto, whom are trying to tear him a new one."

"No fucking way! So seaweed head was right. You mean that delusional peacock right there on the stage is whom you are dating?"

"We are not dating, his name is Keigo Atobe, just keep it in mind."

"maybe I might not remember it. But there is no way I am going to let you get controlled by that crazy bitch!"

"Who said I was being controlled by that diva? And did Sengoku draw this picture of me and Atobe kissing? Very cute, Remind me to thank him later."

"I don't know his name, he was a hyperactive guy wearing a green jersey and always saying "Lucky, lucky, Lucky!"

"That sounds like sengoku from yamabuki to me and so does this photo, "To be or not to be, that is the question." Ryoma studied the text carefully on the piece of paper and it gave him an idea.

"What does that text mean?" asked Kevin

"Its definitely from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet."

"Well, kudos to you, when did you become so cognitive of Shakespeare?"

"That was during my middle school year when I was invited to Hyoutei to dress up as Juliet since Atobe had me playing his wife."

"Seriously? You were fucking eleven or twelve back then. Did you become a grave robber?" boomed Kevin.

"Like I said, we are not…" Kevin was looking at his friend's dead silent face while resisting his attempt to punching him after spewing a lot of bullshit about how 'It's not what you think'. Furthermore, Ryoma had that 'I don't give a damn' look on his face and decided to put that paper in his pocket for school after spring break. By the time Ryoma took out another drink, Kevin followed him to the table.

"Dating? Of course you are. You've been hanging around with that diva for too long. And besides, hanging out with someone is still dating."

"hmm!" said Ryoma as he smiled. 

Kevin looked at him for a moment and frowned, "Come on now! What's 'hmm'?" 

"He is just a friend! How many times do I have to remind you so that you can understand?"

"You can fake it all you want because there is no way you can fool me. So how long have you been seeing Atobe? I demand that you tell me now!"

"You will get the answer soon enough." Said Ryoma as he winked at his best friend before leaving.

"Okay, wise-ass! if I don't get an answer from you, then I will force it from your boyfriend in person tomorrow." fumed Kevin as he stormed out of the building.

~/~

By the time spring break was over, Monday usually brings a lot of headaches at Hyoutei after school budget meeting since school started a bit early for Oshitari. Furthermore, with the tennis club undergoing some intense training and student council sessions, there wasn't much to be done since the year was drawing to a close. Furthermore, Atobe will still continue his ruthless dictating to Hyoutei academy since he will always be in charge of everything.

However, Atobe is more of a fair and honest man since he cares about his team since no one complained about his teachings or authority to the tennis club and he even approved trips and expenses due to his richness. At this point, it seems that the diva has the means to make ends meet no matter how much expectations are there to be fulfilled.

Just then, a violent knock came rushing through the gates but no one cared to listen. Gakuto just checked and rushed outside to open the door and surprisingly enough, Kevin showed himself in.

"Can I speak with your captain? This is important." Said kevin

'We are in a middle of a budget meeting right now, can't this wait?" said Gakuto while trying to push kevin away.

"Step aside, red-haired woman! I am here to settle matters with Atobe and I am not leaving until I get answers from that freakshow!" shouted Kevin.

Gakuto immediately vein popped while Oshitari and Hiyoshi laughed at that insult.

"Just a fucking minute! Who the hell do you think you are talking to? I demand to know your name!" shouted Gakuto angrily.

"I am the famous American tennis Prodigy Kevin Smith. I met your captain and he has been hitting on Ryoma for the last several months. It's about time that I get some answers out of him and the reasons behind his scheme."

"I don't think so. Atobe is not going to reveal his secrets to you at this time. Please calm yourself down, I am sure there is a better explanation for all of this." Continued Gakuto.

"It's okay, Gakuto. I am sure he wants to know what Atobe was even thinking as well. Follow me, Kevin." Said Shishido as he leads the American Player up the stairs towards the meeting room. Kevin then proceeded to bang on the door, scaring the classmates in the other rooms.

"Hiyoshi, would you mind seeing who that could be?" said Atobe without looking up from whatever he is writing.

"It's the American kid, Kevin Smith. He always arrives around 8:30 on Monday. Why didn't you add him to your list of meetings?" asked Hiyoshi.

"I am sure he will get over this whole fiasco about me and Ryoma being together, there is no need for me to explain it to him further." said Atobe as he submits the form to Oshitari who was trying not to interfere with Atobe's messed up love life.

As Kevin marched in, he slammed the door behind him causing all the papers to fly off the desk and then rushed towards Ryoma's boyfriend. "Keigo!" he shouted. "You have gone too far! Are you finished flirting with Echizen, or should I take action right now?"

"That would be lovely." Muttered Hiyoshi as he leaned on the window to get a better view of the confrontation.

Atobe could only laugh anytime that kevin rushed in to question his decision to date that kid without infuriating him further since he did it with such force. "I understand that you are upset, but I got the situation under control. Now, if I wasn't his lover, what kind of a man would I be if-"

"Don't you EVEN go there!"

"Excuse me?"

With a loud groan, Kevin popped his hand into his head "Echizen… he is a kid who loves tennis to death because it has served as an inspiration to us all. And here you are, trying to crush his spirit with your gay love affair. Also, why are you still treating him like a little girl?"

"I can assure you that I did nothing of the sort." Replied Atobe as he discarded some old documents into the trash can while sitting in the chair. "He isn't what I call 'common' because my goal is to show echizen the true meaning of love while spurring my feelings for him as any unique teenager will do." He then sighed and asked "What is it about him being a school girl?"

"You know me better than that!"

"Well, you got your proof. I am doing the best I can to handle our relationship so—"

"Atobe listen to me, this is not just about you! If this goes into the newspapers, every one of the schools will also fight for Echizen's love and we cannot turn the tennis courts into a battlefield. Since that kid is in high school, his former captain of Seigaku will not be hiding in the shadows for very long since he could come back and see how much Ryoma has improved. I hope you are ready to take on the responsibility of overseeing his progress." Kevin was seething in his teeth and waited to see what else that crazy loon has got up his sleeve.

Just then, Echizen arrived and saw the papers on the floor and decided to pick them up and organize them before placing them all on the empty desk next to the computer table. He moved past Oshitari trying to contain his laughter, Kevin's fists nearly landing on Atobe's face, and Shishido's disregard until arriving in front of Atobe's wide grin. "Hello, my dear!" He then paused to grab a soda can from the fridge and took a seat at the desk.

"This is quite a surprise. I wasn't expecting you until later this afternoon." Smiled Atobe.

"You cannot keep me at home for too long. I didn't want to get back to my own house because my father kicked me out because he feels that I am no longer a part of his life. I couldn't care what he thinks of me, so I decided to drop by and spend some time with you guys."

Atobe gave his lover a nod before looking at kevin straight in his face. "If you prefer, we can continue this conversation at my residence, I will be happy to accompany you."

The American player shook his head from side to side and was at a loss for words. He decided to take a seat since he did not know what else he could do.

Just then, Kite rushed in and placed his hand on the blonde kid. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Don't be crazy. I am fine."

"You couldn't fool me for that long." Sighed Gakuto while watching the king and prince hugging and talking like crazy. Furthermore, if it wasn't for the Seigaku kid orchestrating this prank, he would have given Atobe the win he needed. "I tried to tell him to leave Ryoma be, but he is not going to take my word for it."

Now it was Kite to be acting like crazy. "If you were in my shoes, I would have some plans of my own. You guys are his subordinates right? It's up to you to stop Ryoma from having his way."

"If you have any plans, we're all ears."

Even Kevin couldn't take it anymore and decided to concede to defeat.

Ryoma was surprised at how well the room was decorated. "I like how you refurbished the entire classroom. This is so amazing! How did your spring break go? I hope you met some interesting people along the way."

"It went well, thanks for asking. And you?"

"Well, aside from being kicked out, I did some thinking."

"Really, like what?"

"Well, just about how we could get back into the tennis competition since my school is filled with newbies that can barely even serve or hit balls. They need a teacher that can give them a good understanding of the sport itself and I hope you are ready to do that." Said Ryoma.

"Really? I would love to give them a lesson. Just give me a few minutes to finish up my work and I will be over there soon. Also give me a time frame of when to go to Seigaku." Replied Atobe.

Seriously? Did Atobe say he was going to teach the newbies at Seigaku all about tennis? Even Shishido would have stopped himself from walking the dog. No matter how much time Echizen spent with Atobe, it would always end up as the same result since that loud-mouthed brat wouldn't even stop talking about how kind-hearted he was.

"Look at Echizen's cute face, isn't it nice to see him like that?" said Atobe.

"I could care less what you think of that brat. You are the one that started this mess, not me!" boomed Shishido as he focused on his school work. Everyone else didn't have time to give their opinions since they didn't want to get involved. Atobe had to play the role of Echizen's sugar-daddy since he never hated that kid in the first place because he didn't want that kid to be lonely.

"Why is kevin here anyway?"

"Well since you were all high and mighty on me, I am here because I got announcement to make. If you are going to let Echizen stay at Hyoutei, then I might as well head to Seigaku because there is a person that I am deeply interested in." he said.

Everyone was confused at what Kevin had said. Oshitari immediately went to where kevin was and asked, "Don't tell me that you are seeing someone as well."

"Yes, I had my eyes on that girl of yours, Sakuno Ryuzaki. I heard that her grandmother makes delicious food. Therefore, I will be hitting on your girl since I always wanted to try out her stuff." Said kevin proudly.

Ryoma and atobe were shocked at that response. "Are you kidding me? Since when did you start seeing Sakuno?"

"Ever since I was in America, I couldn't find a single girl out there to date. Therefore, I decided that girls in japan will not be that hard to find. So, I will make my appearance at seigaku well-known. In fact, I will invite my whole posse to your school and ensure that we get the proper education and training. See to it that your coach makes us feel welcome. I will fax her this letter now." Said Kevin as he grabbed his letter of acceptance from his bag and sent it to the fax machine. A few minutes later, Coach Ryuzaki received it and saw the American tennis prodigy wanting to fit in. She decided to talk to the principal about it and eventually, he gave the all clear signal and she was off calling kevin on the phone.

"Hello coach ryuzaki, Kevin here. So good to hear from you."

"I see you wanted to become like Echizen right? Well, it will be my pleasure to welcome you to Seigaku. Please, make yourself at home. I am sure Echizen's teammates will be glad to have you on board." Said the coach.

"Arigato gozaimasu, coach Ryuzaki. And oh, I heard that your granddaughter makes good food right? I like to take a look at what she is baking." Continued kevin.

"You wouldn't miss it for the world. Stop by in a few days with your teammates and we will see what skills you have in tennis." And with that the line went dead.

Everyone couldn't believe what just happened, but Ryoma didn't seem to care as he smiled at his rival since he has found his true calling. "That sly devil thinks he can win Sakuno's heart? Well, I will love to see that." He said.

"Ryoma, you sly-devil! Why did you let your rival steal your girlfriend away from you? You think you can just take that from him?" said Choutaro.

"I think Sakuno will suit Kevin perfectly. Besides, I am already over her anyway since her foods don't suit my taste. Besides, she can win Kevin's heart easily. I could care less about Sakuno even though she is nice and all, but my belongs to tennis and of course Atobe." Said Ryoma.

"Dude! You are going to give your old girlfriend to some wannabe halfway around the world? You demon!" shouted Shishido.

"mada mada dane! Besides, I kind of like it here in Hyoutei. I could get used to this place." Said Ryoma with an evil grin on his face.

Everyone in the room laughed while Oshitari groaned in despair. "See, I told you Atobe would make Echizen a part of his life." Said Gakuto.

"He may have won the battle, but not the war. So, there are still some things that need to be done before we can officially let Ryoma join our tennis club. I should contact Eiji and tell him the news since they are going to flip." Said Oshitari as he took out his phone and dialed furiously. He somehow came across Oishi's number and waited for a response.

"Hello, this is Oishi." Came the voice from the other line.

"Hi Oishi, this is Yuushi from Hyoutei. So I take it you heard the news?"

"what is it? I hope its not Echizen humping Atobe again."

A smile came across Yuushi's face as he paused to wipe his face of the sweat that trickled down his face. "No, it's not that. Kevin was just in town and he just submitted a letter of acceptance at your school. In other words, he will be transferring to Seigaku."

A shocked look came to Oishi's face as he tried to contain his laughter. "you're not serious are you?"

"I am not lying. Furthermore, Kevin has made it clear that he and his teammates are going to be a part of your tennis club since your coach has approved them of joining. Also, it seems that we are all in the pits of hell right now." Said Yuushi.

"I see. Does Echizen know about this?" continued Oishi.

"He couldn't care less and decided that Kevin is better off going to your school since he wants to spend more time with us at Hyoutei Academy."

"So, Echizen is abandoning the Seigaku tradition and wants to join the Hyoutei tradition now? Oh God! What cruel fate has befallen on our school? And why did he decide this?"

"Well, Atobe has stated that Ryoma will transfer to our school soon if he won at the dance competition, but he did say that he will delay the process if someone can beat him in the pool table."

"We have been pool experts for a long time. We will accept his challenge, but I think we need to have a talk with our little ochibi before the competition begins. Have him meet us in the school grounds around noon time and we will see what his side of the story is. By the way, thanks for looking after our ochibi. I hope he didn't give you too much trouble." Said Oishi.

"Hey, no problems, that kid has taken quite a shine to us. And no, he didn't give us any trouble at all. We love having him here just as much as you guys do." Smiled Oshitari.

"Again, thank you. I will see you soon my friend." And with that the line disconnected. Oshitari can't wait to see how this will turn out since both rivals are planning to change schools if Atobe wins the next sport of his choosing. At that moment, Ryoma and Atobe decided that it was time for them to start their training session.

"Oshitari, Kite, can you guys give us a moment?" said Atobe.

"Of course, atobe-sama. Let's go, Kite." Said Oshitari as he and Kite left the room while leaving the door open. Oshitari shook his head subtly since he never had seen these royal nutcases dancing the night away. "Kind of makes you feel sorry for that kid right?" murmured Gakuto to Hiyoshi.

Kevin was twitching, but at the same time decided that he will leave Atobe be. "My business is done here, Atobe. So whatever problems you got with Echizen, you can handle it on your own."

"See you on the tennis courts. And also, tell Seigaku that I said hi." Replied Atobe as he nodded towards the American. Furthermore a crowd of eavesdroppers could almost hear that response from in the room. Afterwards, Ryoma showed Atobe the note from Sengoku and he found it to be amazing.

"This is amazing, I am going to laminate it." Said Atobe.

"Wait up Kevin!" called Ryoma as he chased after his best friend while watching Atobe decorating the paper. He could have sworn that he heard Atobe saying 'Romeo has fallen for Juliet and it's like two peas in a pod. The storm has brought these two closer together and no clouds can take them away'

At that instant, Kevin was hissing out a whisper, "That is so not what I meant!" They could hear Oshitari and Kite on the court laughing.

"Looks like I will have to take this blooming flower and add him to our responsibility list on the court." Said Oshitari.

"So, Kevin, what is your relationship with Seigaku?" asked Ryoma.

"Excuse me?"

"Why did you want to join Seigaku anyway?" he asked again.

"Well, your school has a lot of nice people and I wanted to learn a lot from them since this will be my chance to prepare for the U-17 camp later on. Furthermore, Sakuno wants to share her sweets with me and I will propose a date with her soon." Continued Kevin.

"you are weird, you know that?" said Ryoma as he picked up a ball and hit it towards the walls. Some of them even flew past Kevin while the others were on the opposite end of the courts.

"I don't have anything to say to you since I made up my mind." Finished Kevin as he and Ryoma played for a bit while Oshitari watched from the classroom window.

"You are really making my life a living hell, you know that Atobe?"

"Hey, I call them as I see them. Need I remind you that I am still holding to my promise? It will be about six months for Ryoma to get used to our place. I think you can manage that." Said Atobe.

"What the hell did you draw this time? Did you seriously make Ryoma your royal subject?"

"I think he looks good in that suit." Smiled Atobe.

"This isn't a tennis competition; it looks more like a mental hospital."

"You are very observant, four eyes."

Oshitari was about to give up when Echizen entered the door again and saw the picture, but he didn't take much notice until Atobe took his cap off and whispered something in his ear. "If my love could convince you" before putting it back on his head "then my writ for you will be gone and you will have me as your man."

"You are still a delusional jackass, you know that?" said Echizen as he narrowed his eyes at his lover.

"Yes, but do you accept a six month stay here in Hyoutei if I win?" asked Atobe.

"We shall see about that, In the meantime, my seigaku teammates are going to be expecting me soon, I will see you later tonight at the pool hall." Said Ryoma as he left the classroom.

"Let me know if you do change your mind. I will be waiting for you."

"Don't count on it, dork!" Everyone else sweat-dropped at Ryoma's reply while Gakuto and Shishido breathed a sigh of relief while smiling.

Ryoma was still trying to contain his laughter and he could have gotten a big bop on the head for leaving Sakuno to his new fiancé.


	10. A New Challenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyoutei's First Date
> 
> By: NarutoandBleach
> 
> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.

[A New Challenge]

By the time Kevin stormed out of Hyoutei academy, Yuushi and Gakuto breathed a sigh of relief since that kid had fired the first warning shot in order to remind Atobe who is boss. But now, they still have to deal with Ryoma's supposed transfer to their school which could bring a lot of problems with the tennis club. At this point, Oshitari decided that it was time to have a talk with Atobe immediately since he nearly had a splitting headache after that shouting match.

"Atobe, you really need to stop hitting on echizen because if you keep dragging him into this mess, eventually he will stop hanging out with you."

"Ore-sama will hit on anyone that he pleases. Besides, Ryoma will be in my heart as long as he is here at Hyoutei Academy. Therefore, since you are my second in command, you will be looking after him once we all give him a warm welcome to this place?" chuckled Atobe.

"What? why should we look after him? You know that he has his own school to go to and now you are forcing him to come to our school unannounced? There is no way that you are planning this on your own. Tell me, who else is a part of your scheme?" asked Oshitari.

"Fuji has already told me that if Ryoma is more comfortable around me, then he should have no problems here. Besides, Syusuke has already asked me to take good care of him once he finishes the remainder of his semester at Seigaku. Furthermore, my coach has already distributed his a letter of acceptance when he left our club room."

"You can't be serious, so this was your plan all along in order to continue your meaningless quest to fall in love with him? I don't get you anymore." groaned Oshitari.

"My love for Echizen has plenty of meaning since that pipsqueak needs someone like me to ensure that he gets the best care. Besides, even if we do fall in love, no one else shall interfere. And as for Kevin, let him stay at Seigaku for as long as possible because he is still a middle school kid. As long as I got ryoma here, he will be using other people's courts for practice with us accompanying him."

"Just stop, I get it! If you really want Ryoma to fall in love with you, just have the coach speak with him in person, wouldn't that be better?"

"I guess I never thought of that before. Why the hell didn't you tell me earlier?" asked Atobe.

"Hey, this is your doing! Don't blame me!" whined Oshitari. And with that, Atobe immediately prepped a couple of forms for his lover and asked the principal to mail them to Echizen's house since this was that pipsqueak's chance to make a big decision.

Elsewhere, Ryoma was still practicing his serves with Kevin when sanada and Akaya arrived. Furthermore, they were already aware that kevin couldn't convince that loud-mouthed prick to back off from Ryoma and that he will be going to Seigaku soon. This time, they would need to have a small intervention with the brat while coming up with a new plan of their own.

"So, Kevin, I guess you couldn't convince Atobe to leave Ryoma alone, could you? I didn't think so. Why did you even try and force Keigo to divulge his secrets anyway?" asked Sanada.

"I know! Did you see the way Atobe acted? It's like he is playing judge and jury with Echizen since he is acting like some sort of a big-shot godfather to that kid. I think he is being a little too overprotective of my friend. I didn't get any secrets out of him since he won't go back on his word. Furthermore, his decision to date Echizen was final until his bet pays off." Said Kevin.

Akaya could only breathe a sigh of disappointment, "Ugh! Looks like that brat didn't heed our warnings after all even after all the trouble we went through to get him to back off from that crazy loon. I think it's time we visit Inui and find out what really is going on. Also, are you really going to be a part of the seigaku tennis club?"

"Yes, I announced it to the people at Hyoutei and it will be made official soon since Coach Ryuzaki will make me feel welcomed in that school's tennis courts. Furthermore, that school can give me a better chance to succeed in the U-17 world cup later on." Continued kevin.

"Well, good luck then, and also give Oishi our best. Make yourself comfortable here in Japan, my friend." Said Sanada as he walked towards Ryoma who was practicing his tennis moves since this guy has been putting up with Atobe's antics for far too long.

"Echizen, I just heard that you were dancing with that crazy loon last night and I have to say, you were good. But I am a little disappointed that you didn't leave Atobe." He said.

"Thanks Sanada-sempai, but like I said, even if I do leave Atobe, he will just keep wanting me in his love life and I have to respect that. However, I understand that you are trying to help and all, but I got this handled." Said Ryoma as he takes a swing at the tennis ball and it flew right past Sanada into the wall behind him.

"Listen to me, Atobe is not what I would call a person that would give up on his quest for love, but seriously, you really have to stop going through all these challenges that he is giving you. It's not worth it." said Akaya.

"Unfortunately, Atobe cannot take no for an answer and my father is having him over for dinner at my house later this evening. Furthermore, I never back down from a challenge because it does not bother me that much."

Akaya could only chuckle at that remark as he turned towards Sanada and said, "Oh, listen to this guy, would you? He is still as cocky as ever and still acting like a brat."

"Yup, he is cute and cocky. Anyway have you talked with Sakaki yet?" asked Akaya.

"Not yet, but I will when the time comes. Furthermore, I still can't even believe that I had to switch schools with my rival, this is just unreal. But no matter, the coach would probably not allow me to practice with Kevin around. However, Momo and the others would want a talk with me at around noon today. I am sure that what they will hear from me will not be good news." Continued Ryoma.

"I think you better tell your friends at seigaku now instead of holding it off until lunch time since you cannot keep them waiting." Continued Sanada.

"You're right. I should be heading off now, thanks for stopping by!" waved Ryoma as he heads off towards seigaku.

"I think that kid has played right into the hands of his lover, don't you think so, fuku-buchou?"

"Trust me, Akaya. Keigo has completely lost his mind." said Sanada.

What was Kevin thinking trying to get into Ryoma's school? Is he trying to attract the girls so that he can show off his tennis skills? No, that cannot be it since the Seigaku tennis club has already seen this American kid's special abilities previously and now seeing him transferring schools so soon will not make it easy on the new captain. Furthemore, Tezuka wouldn't even approve of this once he got the text, but decided to let Kevin try out his skills anyway.

Once Ryoma arrived at Seigaku, he could see the tennis players working on their swings and hand-picking balls. Elsewhere, Inui was working on recording data for his upcoming juice recipe while Momo and Fuji were playing each other for fun. As they saw their favorite ochibi here, they had a rush of energy flowing through them and were eager to talk to him.

"Hi guys, you heard that Kevin is going to our school pretty soon, right? Just wanted to let you know of the situation at hand." Said Ryoma as he walked towards the locker room, but Eiji and Oishi stopped Ryoma from entering.

"What is the meaning of this, sempais? Let me through!" said Ryoma.

"Not until you tell us what is going on between you and Atobe. We have heard that kevin tried to stop you from dating him and yet he failed. So tell us, why haven't you left him yet?" asked Eiji.

"Why does everyone always have to question my relationship with a deranged student from another school? What part of 'we're not dating' do you not understand?"

"Oh, we understand all right. It's just that you were going to leave Seigaku for Hyoutei. So, you are planning to part ways with us after all we've been through, is that it?" hissed kaidoh.

"What? Who said I was leaving Seigaku? I am the pillar of this school! I would never leave you guys and go to some other school without telling you guys. Besides, I only came back here to practice for a little bit because the coach has excused me from here because the girls were too annoying and I couldn't play in peace." Continued Ryoma.

"That explains everything. So tell me, why on earth would Kevin call our coach and asked to join our school?" asked Kawamura.

"It's just a rumor! He didn't say he would officially join the school until after Atobe beats our brat in a pool table game. Didn't you hear the whole message? I just think you were misinformed or so." Continued fuji.

"Oh, I see. So you are not leaving after all? Nya?" said Kikumaru as he hugged the kid.

"No, of course not. Now, can I start my tennis practice, please?" said Ryoma as he walked through the doors to change into his tennis gear. As he came out, Fuji waved at Ryoma and said, "Follow me, I want to have a little match with you."

"Why?" asked Ryoma.

"We need to make sure that you are not lying to us. If there is even a little bit of fibbing coming from that mouth, you are buying hamburgers for us as your punishment!" said momo.

"Sure, whatever! Can we get started now?" groaned Ryoma.

As the match began, Fuji noticed that Ryoma wasn't taking the match seriously since he only had been using low swings with his racquet. Furthermore, he has been using very little jump shots and is not putting in much effort. As Inui watched closely, he could see that the kid has exerted most of his energy practicing with Kevin earlier in the day.

"You are not using your full potential! Come at me with full strength, Ryoma!" called Fuji.

"I am doing the best I can, but I just don't have the strength to do so."

"C'mon Ochibi! Show some compassion and play seriously! Where is the Echizen that we know?" continued Taki.

"Don't pressure me, I used most of the energy I had with kevin earlier and I don't know how much strength I have left on me." Said Ryoma as he tried to catch his breath. He could see that his opponent was pulling ahead by 30 points after hitting so many balls. By the end of the second set, Fuji could see that Ryoma was worn out and decided to give him some water to cool off.

"What is going on with you today? Why aren't you using your full potential?" asked Fuji.

"I just don't have the strength to do so after last night's shindig." Said ryoma.

"See! Now we know you are lying! You owe us hamburgers, you cheeky brat!" bellowed Momo.

"Why am I being mistreated by my own friends?" thought Ryoma to himself as he and the gang headed towards the burger joint in Tokyo. Once there, the seigaku prodigy had to spend whatever was there for his friends while sulking. By the time that everyone finished lunch, Ryoma could hear his cell phone ringing and answered it.

"Hello, this is Echizen."

"Hey there you little brat! How is your date going? I sure hope you are having a good time so far because I invited him over for dinner tonight." Said his father

"Seriously? What are you planning this time?" shouted Echizen

"You will see soon enough. Oh, don't be late! Make sure you send this message to your date soon." And with that, the line went dead and Ryoma could only sigh at that remark.

"What is it Ryoma?" asked Oishi

"My father is inviting my date to my house for dinner tonight since he wants to find out more about my relationship with him. Furthermore, I need to send Atobe a text immediately." Said Ryoma as he typed furiously to his lover about the dinner. Once Atobe received the message, he was kind of surprised, but decided to accept the offer.

"So, you are inviting your date to your house tonight? What did you do to him?" asked Eiji.

"Nothing, it's just a dinner date, nothing too fancy," continued Ryoma.

Back at Hyoutei academy, Atobe smiled wider as he saw the message sent from his lover. As the others looked at him, something was definitely not right with him.

"What's going on, atobe?" asked Oshitari.

"My lover has invited me over to dinner at his house tonight. I suggest that you guys plan something good for him. Furthermore, I think he really does care about me now." Boasted Atobe.

"O…kay, are you sure you're all right? Because it seems you are PMS'ing too much."

"I heard that, gakuto! Furthermore, I need to provide something for my lover in order to show my true affection towards him since he was kind enough to let me over at his place." Continued Atobe.

Everyone was surprised, including Jirou who was half asleep since this was the first time that Echizen has invited his lover for dinner after spending a lot of time with him. At this point, Atobe feels that he needed to be repaid for his great debt towards Ryoma because this was the kid's chance to thank him. Furthermore, this dinner could mean a lot to the man since he had done a lot for Echizen.

That night, Atobe dressed in something casual before leaving for Ryoma's house since he asked his butlers to look after his estate before he returns. As he arrived, he rang on the doorbell and once Ryoma opened it, he jaw dropped to the floor and saw how well-dressed his date was.

"Wow, you look handsome! Come on in, my father is dying to meet you!" said Ryoma.

"For a house like this, it seems to be a bit small. But this will do." Said Atobe as he rubbed his lover's hair while kicking off his shoes before heading towards the dinner table. As he arrived, Rinko and Nanjiro were surprised at how the Hyoutei captain had dressed and decided to take a couple of photos to add to their collection.

"Welcome to our home! Please make yourself at home, it's so nice to meet you!" said the man.

"Atobe, this is my father, the former tennis prodigy Echizen Nanjiro, and that woman there is my mother, Rinko." Said Ryoma.

"It's an honor to meet you both! Ryoma has told me so much about you guys. Thank you for inviting me here." Chuckled Atobe.

"hey, it's our pleasure. Drop by anytime, we would be honored to have you and your team over for dinner. Furthermore, I taught my son everything I know about tennis and who knows, he might just surpass me in the sport soon." Laughed Nanjiro while patting his son's head.

"Oya-ji! Seriously?" grunted Ryoma as he paused to take away the magazines that were sprawled out on the living room floor since he did not want Atobe or his fan club to see this since it would not be honoring his code of romance. Furthermore, Ryoma does not want the magazines to ruin his relationship with his boyfriend tonight. Once the living room was cleared of the books, everyone sat down to dinner. However, Oja-ji had other things on his mind as well.

"So tell me son, what is Atobe-sama's relationship to you?" asked Nanjiro.

"Well, monkey king here…" Atobe glared at his lover while eating. "Er, I mean the king and I are in a relationship together since he is my boyfriend." Said Ryoma

Nanjiro jaw-dropped at Ryoma's response. "NANI!? You mean you are dating this infamous tennis player from hyoutei!? Wow, I knew that girls wouldn't suit your taste but now you are dating a guy? No wonder you are getting so popular today!"

"Like I said, it is not a date, we are just best friends okay?" said Ryoma nervously.

"Don't be preposterous! You two make a cute couple together, and I think you are just too shy to admit it!" continued Nanjiro. Soon, Atobe pulled ryoma closer to him and whispered something to his ear.

"Is your father always like this whenever guests are over at your house?"

"Sometimes I don't know what goes through that old man's mind either. But like I said, he will issue challenges whenever I am in a relationship with people or just making friends with others. It's harder for him to give me any space at all. Furthermore, he gets too excited when we are on a date like this." Continued Ryoma.

"I see, Ore-sama seems to have sparked a reaction with your father. Hey no worries, once we play pool later tonight, he will see just how strong we really are. And besides, we all know how crazy your father is right?"

"Tch! Don't remind me. Soon, my father could challenge you to a pool competition to see if you are worthy enough to date me." Snickered Ryoma.

Once everyone finished their dinner, Nanjiro started getting a crazy idea of his own since he heard that the lovers are going out to shoot pool. However, he called them towards the backyard and grabbed a tennis racquet while pointing it to Atobe.

"Before you start playing pool, I want to see if you are truly worthy enough to date my son. So, how about a little tennis match?" said nanjiro.

"Oya-ji, is this really necessary? You are already aware that I am well not really dating Atobe except hanging out with him on a daily basis? Furthermore, what is up with that get-up of yours?" asked Ryoma, not impressed by his outfit. Elsewhere, Yuushi and kenya chuckled at the sight of that man's outfit as well while Inui was busy with his data entry log book.

"Inui-sempai, who is that guy in that goofy outfit?" asked Yuuta.

"He is the former tennis prodigy named Echizen nanjiro, Ryoma's father. And he is prepared to challenge Atobe to a tennis match to see if he is worthy enough to date our Ryoma." Continued Inui.

"That man is Koshimae's father? Wow! For a tennis prodigy, he is sure is a pervert just like Koharu and Yuji. Besides, I want Koshimae to win since we are going to be giving them a fruit basket for good luck, right Shiraishi?" said Kintaro as faced his captain with that puppy dog eye look.

"Yes, of course. I mean after all, Ryoma is a pretty loyal friend and we should do something nice for them. At this point, I can say with certainty that Ryoma has finally felt a change in his heart and decided towards finding love." Said Shiraishi.

"I think you might be right. Atobe sure knows how to make people fall for his schemes in an instant and in this case, Ryoma went for it anyway. He has guts we'll give him that. However, despite the fact that he is very cocky and stubborn at the same time, sometimes we can't figure out what that kid or his father is really thinking." Said Momo.

Back on the courts, Atobe took out his racquet and took his stance since he has no idea what Nanjiro has in store for him. This was really a bad idea to challenge the king to a tennis match and if there are any flaws, Nanjiro will surely pay the price.

"Are you sure you want to do this in front of your son?" asked Atobe.

"I am sure! I will even use a handicap for this match. Relax, I am going to go easy on you. It's not like we are going to compete for a trophy or anything." Said Nanjiro.

"Oh my god! Why do I get the feeling that this is not going to end well for me?" thought Ryoma as he took the position of the referee. As the match began, Atobe is starting to hit easy balls one by one without stopping since Nanjiro cannot seem to pinpoint the style that he was using. Furthermore, Atobe seems to be moving quickly each time the balls were sent back to his opponent, leaving him no chance to return the serve. The score was going from 15 all the way up to 40 until the first match went to Atobe.

"You are pretty good for a captain. However, I will not let you beat me so easily!" continued Nanjiro.

"Just give up, you old fart! Atobe has this game in his favor so there is no point in continuing!" said Ryoma.

"Stay out of this, you little brat! I want to keep this match going in order to prove that you are worthy to be his girlfriend."

"There is no girlfriend, you got that all wrong!" protested Ryoma. But his father didn't hear him as the match continued. Why the hell did samurai Nanjiro threaten Atobe with a tennis match anyway? They could have focused on saving their energy for the pool table later on.

"Inui, why does Nanjiro think Atobe is Ryoma's boyfriend?" asked Oshitari.

"Well, Nanjiro does show up a lot at team events so even though I have confirmed his identity, my alert option shows me that he was cleared for entry into the stadiums."

"Well, that's Nanjiro for you, he is living a life where he does not do work and sits around reading porn magazines all day. You will get used to it." said Kikumaru as he was eating and feeding popcorn with his friends.

Oshitari could only shake his sign with a sigh. "you know, I didn't think Ryoma would put up with our captain for this long and it's been only three weeks since they've been together. I didn't figure that nanjiro would get in on the action."

As the second set draws to a close, Nanjiro had given his opponent a run for his money, but came up short. "Game and Match! The winner is Atobe!" called Ryoma. After the match, Atobe went and shook Nanjiro's hand and said, "Thank you for a good game today."

"Of course, but next time I won't go easy on you! How about a rematch?" he said.

"Please, I think Atobe has had enough for today, we need to get to the pool hall." Said Ryoma.

"I demand a rematch with you right now!" shouted nanjiro as he danced like a complete idiot. Ryoma could only shook his head in disbelief.

"Does your dad always act like this in public?" asked Atobe.

"Afraid so." He then turned to his father and said, "Just call off the match, we are done here." He then grabbed the racquet from Atobe's hand and placed it in his tennis bag before rushing out of the backyard courts. Furthermore, Oshitari couldn't blame Ryoma for trying to escape from the wrath of nanjiro, but Atobe was bad enough as it is.

"Where is my rematch?" asked nanjiro.

"Atobe does not want a rematch since he has other things to do with me today! You already have gotten your proof that we are good to go on our so called "date."

"Atobe-sama needs to earn the right to do that to you! This rematch will be good enough to sharpen my skills." Boasted Nanjiro.

"I don't think so!" said Echizen while rubbing his own temple to stop the headache from taking over. Even Shishido couldn't blame Echizen for standing up to his father.

"Really, he doesn't?"

Atobe was shocked and said, "Well, thanks for saving me from that annoying prepubescent idiot. I almost wanted to give him a little taste of defeat!"

"Can we go play pool now?" said Echizen as he grabbed Atobe's sleeve and dragged his over to the car. "Come on."

"you have not seen the last of me! We will meet in battle one day and I will defeat you!" said Nanjiro as he huffed off in a hurry. Afterwards, the lovers breathed a sigh of relief and placed everything in the car while Inui switched camera angles towards Ryoma and Atobe in the car since the seigaku student was ignoring him even though his lover smiled at him.

"I guess I kind of gotten a little carried away back there, didn't I? I also forgot that you haven't accepted my love for you yet. It won't happen anymore." Said Atobe.

"What do you mean 'yet?' There is no yet! I fucking hate you people!." Groaned Ryoma.

"Oi, O-chibi, that's rude! If you are going to say things like "I don't have feelings for you" or "We are not boyfriend/girlfriend" don't keep hogging that guy to yourself! Even Atobe has feelings too, you know?" whined Eiji as he tossed the popcorn bag on the projector.

As the team looked on at the car that drove off with Atobe and Echizen inside, Kenya noticed that Echizen was holding onto his lover while reading a book. "Have you noticed how Koharu always takes a few inches back away from his partner during the tennis tournament? If you step too close, he moves back?"

"Yes, so?" said Shishido.

"Well, ochibi was actually behind Atobe a few inches forward guarding his stance to return the ball and we didn't see him return to his original position."

Inui was a little bit confused, "When Echizen is inside of a car, you would have to fasten your seat belt so that you don't have neck injuries."

"Which is why if you try to take Jirou anywhere in a car he will probably just fall asleep and not pay attention to anything around him!" continued Kenya. "Does anyone here own a car?"

"My mother did once, but she traded it for a motorcycle. Where are you going with this?" asked Shiraishi.

"Well, given the strange pattern of behavior that Atobe and Echizen are conducting today, this points to a possible weakness in Echizen's mind. Furthermore, without any other experimental data, determining what our ochibi was thinking would be impossible." Continued Inui.

"Basically Inui, what my cousin is saying that jirou knows that he likes Fuji and he is giving him distance so that you don't get any wrong ideas." Said Oshitari

"Which would be what?"

He pointed at the picture of Atobe and Echizen held tightly together in the car. "Atobe still thinks that he is falling for Echizen. That was the wrong idea."

"Well, what do you think Echizen should do? They are inside a car and he has to hold on, or else he has a 94% chance of hitting his head on the seat at high driving speeds."

"I don't think you can hit your head while wearing a seat belt, and Atobe only brought this on himself." Said Shishido as he shook his head at the screen. How would everyone feel when Atobe used a car to pick Echizen up in order to get closer to him? Probably to freak out the people at Higa Middle school since they have been notified of the situation at hand.

"I just don't understand why echizen didn't tell anyone else that he and Atobe are just hanging out and not dating? Is he too bashful to say that?" continued Gakuto.

"I know right? This is actually the first time that I heard him saying it, but he could care less and wants to avoid his father at all times and… wait a minute! I have a strong friendly relationship with Fuji here." Said Jirou.

"Yeah, sure you do, Mr. Sleepyhead! Fuji only played tennis with you because he couldn't care about dating tips from you." Said Kenya. But as they looked on the screen, they can see Ryoma falling asleep on Atobe's shoulder with his eyes closed while pressing tightly against the captain."

"What the hell? It seems that they are not just holding onto each other! Holy shit!" thought Gakuto. Atobe would never thought that his prediction came true, right? Furthermore, we can see that Ryoma loves getting personal with that crazy loon since his delusions have taken control of his mind.

"I will admit, Ryoma does have the courage to fall in love with people that he played tennis with previously, but this sort of conduct could breach dating protocols between men and women in real life." Finished Inui.

"You got that right, shall we meet them at the pool hall?" asked Momo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: I never knew that Ryoma's father was such a pervert since he has had trouble finding love on his own. And yes, he almost tried to steal Atobe away from ryoma so that he can have his tennis rematch. But now, Ryoma feels that his own father is getting annoying despite the fact that our tennis star cannot leave his stalker.
> 
> Second, let me say that Kevin Smith was a complete douche trying to attack Atobe and attempting to impugn his integrity. However, he is not fighting back against Kevin since he knows that this kid would also want a date with Echizen's old girlfriend. Geez, one stalker was bad enough but now two? What the hell are these two troublemakers up to now?


	11. A Change of Schools

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyoutei's First Date
> 
> By: NarutoandBleach
> 
> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.

[Transfer Plans]

As the car turned to the corner around Tokyo, it had arrived at the pool hall where a lot of students from other schools are playing, including two mysterious tennis players that no one has seen before. Once Ryoma and Atobe entered, they are prepared for what's about to come before them. Elsewhere, Kevin came prepared for the pool showdown with Echizen since the conditions are as follows: if they win, they stay at their respective schools. However, if Atobe wins, then both kids must transfer schools immediately. Although this had come in as a shocker, Ryoma and Kevin are not going to hold anything back.

Furthermore, Ryoma's supporters have arrived, followed by Atobe's tennis club members since none of them are too happy about what their captain is doing to ryoma. However, this sort of match could even things up with the lovers and rivals or someone could leave with nothing at all.

Just then, the two mysterious tennis players showed up and to Ryoma's surprise, it was his older brother, Echizen Ryoga and his rival, kazuya Tokugawa. What exactly are they doing here at the pool hall and are they trying to cheer on Ryoma or kevin?

"Keigo, excuse me for a second, but did you notice those two tennis players over there? My adoptive brothers have showed up unexpectedly! I mean what are they going to say when they find out that we are dating?" said Ryoma.

"Oh, not to worry! I already sent them the message to cheer for you. Furthermore, they already know about our so called relationship since they would love to talk to you after the game. Plus, Tokugawa is also considering a fatherly role for you, Echizen." Smiled Atobe.

"You're kidding me! That cannot be right. Now I got another stalker that is going to be my adoptive father? What kind of torture is this?" groaned ryoma as he waved back at his big brothers who were laughing at him for dating a douche from hyoutei.

"Aww, my little chibisuke finally has found some love from Hyoutei academy! I knew you were lucky enough to date Atobe, but man, I got to congratulate you on your attempt to find love this easily." Said Ryoga as he walked over and patted his little brother's head.

"Ryoga Nii-sama, what are you doing here? I thought you were already staying in America or so. What brings you to Japan?"

"I came to see my little brother having a competition here in the pool hall so I decided to stop by and offer you some support. Furthermore, Kazuya tagged along since he also sees you as a brother as well but I told him that you already have me as a brother. So, we decided to compete against each other to see which one of us will be a better brother to you." Chuckled Ryoga.

"Echizen Ryoma, I see you and Atobe are here for you date to play pool and I heard from my friends that you will be going to hyoutei pretty soon. I think this date will be perfect for you since Keigo has been showing his signs of true love for you, best of luck my friend." Said Kazuya.

"Seriously, guys! You don't need to compete to see which one of you will be better brothers to me. I mean you both can share the role of brothers for me. Furthermore, if monkey king can beat me then I will certainly have no problems staying at Hyoutei and I will gladly let Sakuno have some fun with Kevin Smith so that way I can practice tennis in peace." Said Ryoma.

"Ore-sama reminds you to stop calling me monkey king since we are on a date here. Furthermore, why is everyone else laughing though?" said Atobe.

"Maybe they are asking for our autographs so that we can give them to our fangirls. Furthermore, I think we are going to have a great match today,"

"Definitely, my love! And also, may the best man win!" continued Atobe.

As the competitors racked up the balls on the tables, the competition was starting and Ryoma started off with his break of the balls using tennis style techniques that he has learned from the other students previously because this is good training for him. Also, Inui has prepared a special drink for ryoma in case he loses the game while the others watched from the sidelines. Unfortunately for Echizen, losing was not an option for him since he cannot take the walk of shame this early.

"Ryoma, make sure you take the game seriously since we are going to be playing fiercely. Furthermore, the balls are solids and stripes so select which ones you are going to hit." Said Ryoma.

"Yes of course, I've played this game before so it's all about strategizing and thinking. Furthermore, I've chosen solids since they are a lot easier to sink in than the striped ones." Continued ryoma as he strikes one of the solids into the corner pocket with his drive B shot before taking aim at ball number 5 and sent it into the side pockets. However, he ended up with a scratch for the white ball. As the game went on, Atobe managed to sink a couple of the striped ones inside the corner pockets with his tennis style abilities since both rivals are equally competitive. Furthermore, Kevin seems to be making his mark on the pool table making shot after shot with the striped balls.

Elsewhere in the control room, Inui and the others were watching with interest since they were impressed at how well the game was going. However, they had no idea who to root for since everyone seems to be on a hot streak right now. Furthermore, Atobe and Ryoma seems to be having a good time here while drinking ponta and sodas together as a couple.

"Well, lover boy over there seems to be enjoying himself with his date." Said Kenya.

"Yes, but Atobe seems to be giving his lover a run for his money since they are both doing their best. I would bet on Ryoma since he always seems to be showing off his best shots so far. Furthermore, I trust ryoma's instincts since he has showed me just how fun other recreational sports can be." Said yuushi

"It doesn't really matter who wins because that cheeky brat has got the guts to take on a kid from out of state. I just don't understand why Kevin wanted Sakuno to himself?" said Kaido

"Didn't you hear, snake boy? Kevin said that Sakuno's grandmother makes delicious stuff so he wanted to try them out when he joins Seigaku. Furthermore, I think that Kevin is probably a popular guy since we need to get to know him better. Sure Ryoma did surpass other men, but now, we need to focus our attention on kevin instead of that other brat." Added Momo.

Ryoma suddenly vein popped as he shoots another ball in the far left corner pocket with applied math skills.

"What? Are you guys trying to make kevin a new pillar of Seigaku? There can only be one pillar of that school and it is me!" shouted Ryoma.

"Relax, o-chibi! Those two idiots are probably trying to mess with your head. Just focus on the game and don't let them get to you." Said Eiji.

"Thanks Eiji-sempai! I can't let Kevin walk all over me just because he is trying to get the girls to like him. Well if he wants a contest on dating, I will give him one right now and show him that I am better at this game than he will ever be." Said Ryoma as he continued sinking a striped and a solid ball into both side pockets, thereby giving his lover the advantage to take control of the first round. After all but three striped balls are sent in, Atobe and Ryoma are at a crossroads and must figure out where to sink the final few striped and that black ball into before winning the first round.

"This is going to be tough, Ore-sama. Imean we are both tied and this next shot is going to be crucial." Said Ryoma.

"You are quite right my friend. This next shot is difficult, so we need to take our time with this one." Added Atobe as he shoots the first of the final few balls inside the side pocket before moving onto the next one.

Gakuto and Shishido were impressed at how well their captain has played so far, but Echizen wasn't that far behind since he also wants to take a shot at that black ball. However, hitting that eight ball will not be easy since it could go into almost anywhere for a win. Furthermore, with all the other balls gone, this final shot could decide the winner of the first round.

As Atobe stepped forward to take his shot with the tannhauser serve, the black ball bounced off the walls and was not anywhere near the corner pocket, but as Ryoma took his shot with the bullet shot, he couldn't get it in either.

"Where do you want to hit it this time?" asked ryoma.

"I will try for the side pockets again, but it is not going to be easy." Said Atobe as he paused for a drink while the others watched with interest. This time, pool is a lot different from bowling or basketball because it requires concentration. Hitting a black ball is not going to be easy since it is pretty stubborn. But as ryoma took another shot, it somehow bounced off from the corners and went in the right corner pocket, giving Ryoma the first win.

Atobe then shook Ryoma's hand and said, "Congrats to my love on that successful hit. Now, let's go again, shall we?"

"Of course, but remember, you went easy on me that time so if we can tie this game in this round, we might be able to determine the winner later on. Plus, I wouldn't call this a date since we are just two friends playing for fun." Said Ryoma.

"Just try to accept my love for you since I am sure you will find Hyoutei Academy to be accommodating to you once I beat you today." Smiled Atobe

"We shall see about that, won't we?" said Ryoma as they racked up the balls while Kevin continued his streak of good luck over Fuji who seems to be playing it cool since he has started hitting almost every single ball into the corner and side pockets without getting a scratch. Elsewhere, Inui was shocked at how well the American kid had played against the brown-haired senior since he either practiced a lot at home or he is just lucky.

"Kevin, you are pretty good at this, but you won't beat me though since my brother Yuuta refuses to take me on in this game. I tried to convince him, but he feels that it is better for him to face off against Shishido since this was his chance stop Atobe from going all out on our Echizen." Said Fuji.

"So, Echizen just doesn't give up and decides to stay with Atobe even though he denies that narcissist's love for him? How absurd. I have told him to just give up on that guy, but Atobe just shrugs it off and still thinks Ryoma is his love child. Gosh, what cruel fate has been dealt for my friend this time?" Grumbled Kevin.

"I am sure he will get over his lover soon, but it appears that the more our Echizen spends time with that loony bin, the more likely that he will be forced to confess his feelings. Besides though, I am sure you will be pretty comfortable at Seigaku once I beat you at this game so prepare yourself." Continued Fuji with that dark smile.

"jeez, that guy just can't take no for an answer and here I am, stuck with Yuuta's big brother who can't seem to take the game seriously. How sadistic is Fuji Shusuke anyway?" asked Kevin.

"Believe me; he is always like this, no matter if it's out on the tennis courts or at bowling alleys since he always tries to lure people into various schemes. Sure he may look gentle with Ryoma, but as he stays with Yukimura or Shiraishi, those three do not want people to bully me. Besides, I think all three of them are too overprotective of their pipsqueaks like Kintaro, Akaya, and Ryoma because we got three loud-mouthed brats, one of which have already encouraged Echizen to keep on dating Atobe. Besides, if I was in Akaya's shoes, I would definitely tell Atobe that Ryoma isn't his type." Comtinued Yuuta.

"Looks like Echizen could learn a lot from you, the younger brother of Shusuke Fuji since you always know how to stop people from doing things that they shouldn't be doing." Said Ryoga as he rested his hand on Yuuta's shoulder. 

Suddenly, Yuuta vein popped and shouted, "Shut it Ryoga! I am not going to be called that for the rest of my life and you ought to know that!"

"Sorry about that, but still though, my brother can be stubborn at times even when he is so cute and soft. But when he is dating atobe, it makes me want to start thinking about getting a girlfriend as well." Continued Ryoga.

"I see you are pretty sensitive to your brother's feelings, aren't you? Furthermore, Ryoma seems to have become quite attached to you since then, but I think he also has taken a liking to Tokugawa as well because that guy has a motorcycle and would love to let Ryoma ride with him along the streets." Added Yuuta.

"Tokugawa may think that my brother is his brother, but I will face off against him in a pool match and soon." Said Ryoga as he prepped the balls and the cue sticks for a table before calling kazuya over.

"So, why did you want to face me in a showdown of pool? Let me guess, you still think I will take your brother away from you?" said Kazuya while reading his magazine.

"How perceptive of you, Kazuya-sempai! Let me remind you that Ryoma could date anyone he wants to, no matter if it's a man or a woman." Continued Ryoga.

Kazuya was a bit confused at Ryoga's response and said, "I never said he couldn't date, but with him hanging around Atobe any further would only jeopardize his love relationship. I can see that the hyoutei captain will do anything to win Ryoma's little heart strings, but this is too much for that kid to handle."

Ryoga looked up at his rival for a moment while breaking the balls apart, sending a striped ball in the left corner pocket before going for the second striped ball. Furthermore, he also wanted to surpass his brother in the game as well. Although the second ball didn't go in, Kazuya took his shot and landed one of the solids in without breaking a sweat since these guys are not beginners, but they got luck on their side. Furthermore, Ryoma and kevin are both playing like experts since they learned from the best. To them, pool table is more of their style now.

"So kevin, ready to give up yet?" asked Ryoma

"Not until you leave Atobe for good, Echizen! Trust me; you are not his type no matter how much you really like him. Furthermore, I am not going to take the fall for this if you keep hanging around with that lunatic."

"We are not lovers, and he is only dating me so that I can be a part of his fanclub asking for autographs." Said Ryoma

"You can lie better than that, Echizen! You've been hanging around each other all day and I saw you holding onto Atobe in the car when you were sleeping on his shoulder. This proves my theory that you do have feelings for him!" boasted Kevin.

"No, kevin. I was tired from my match with my father and I had to take a nap on my friend's shoulders since he cares about me so much. Maybe I am going a bit crazy with the date thing but still who cares? He had a reason to let me sleep in his car anyway because he does not want me to leave his side. I think he was tired of playing tennis with my father." Said Ryoma as he strikes down one of the solid balls in the left side pocket with his drive B shot and jump smashes.

"Why you little….! Looks like I can't convince you to back off from Atobe since that man has become deranged on his little quest. I don't know what he is thinking anymore and now he is asking you to go to his school when you lose to him? Give me a break, you have no idea what sort of torture you could go through at Hyoutei."

"I will be fine, don't worry. Besides the music teacher will guide me through everything, and yes Atobe will assist me when needed." Said Ryoma proudly.

"You must like living dangerously and now you are going to be in a situation that you cannot escape from." Warned Kevin.

As the match progressed, Atobe seems to have the second round in his favor and wins the round. With both rivals tied at one each, it was time to break the tie in the next round, but it seems that Ryoma somehow started dominating again in the second round, leaving Atobe to wonder where this kid learned a sport like this.

"Looks like Echizen is playing fiercely out there since he is sinking one ball after the other inside the pockets." Said Inui

"He is just lucky, but our captain can beat him I am sure." Said Shishido.

"yeah, no shit! Pretty soon, that pipsqueak could walk all over us when he arrives at Hyoutei. Who knows what sort of problems we could face when he is around. I hope that he does not become too bossy." Said Choutaro nervously.

"He won't be bossing us around as long as we are here. Furthermore, I think our captain has made a big mistake letting that brat come to our school. If he thinks this sort of joke is funny to him, he better think again." continued Shishido. 

By round 3, the score seems to have changed and shifted into Atobe's favor again, leaving both with 2 each with no actual winner in sight. However by the time final round rolled in, Atobe started making a comeback and finished the game off without hesitation, leaving Ryoma shocked. However, he didn't have any bitterness or any regrets and decided to shake atobe's hand. After the match, Atobe took Ryoma to the bar for a few drinks of soda.

"You played well, no hard feelings." Said Atobe

"No hard feelings here either, but still though that black ball was not easy to hit in any of the pockets. I almost thought that ball could have been working in our favors as well." Said Echizen.

"Still, for a kid, you demonstrated great skills in this game. But since I won the bet and the game, do you still plan to come back to hyoutei Academy?" asked Atobe.

"I will give it some thought, but what about kevin?"

"he ended up beating Fuji and decided that it was time for him to stay at Seigaku as promised. Furthermore, he wanted a taste of Sakuno's foods as well." Said Atobe.

"Looks like my sempais are planning to look after him while I have to continue my education here at Hyoutei, this could get interesting after all." Said Ryoma.

"So, are you planning to come back to my place for tonight?" 

"Sure, I got some time anyway. It's not like I have to rush home anyway since my father would freak out if I tell him I was going to your school as part of our date." Said Ryoma.

"Wonderful! And also let me know if you have made up your mind on joining us." Smiled Atobe.

"Yes, but don't count on it yet. I still have to let my teammates know of my plans. Plus, does Yuushi know about this thing as well?" asked Ryoma

Atobe looked at him for a moment since this was the only question that came to his mind since he didn't tell his teammates about what will happen to the tennis club if Echizen really joined. Furthermore, he has to talk to the coach about this as well.

"How could I have forgotten to mention this to the coach and my teammates?" groanied Atobe. "Before you come, let me confirm it first. Just wait for me to call you with updates" said Atobe.

"I will be waiting for a response from you soon." said Ryoma as they both sat in the car and headed back to Atobe's house for the night.

Looks like Hyoutei and Seigaku are going to be seeing some major changes with Ryoma and kevin going to their new schools and meeting their new coaches and this could either turn out to be good or bad for Momo and Yuushi when these two boys will start changing the lives of their tennis clubs forever. Also, Ryoma has a tough decision to make that could impact his tennis career and his friends at Seigaku


	12. Ryoma's Decision

That night, Ryoma was still thinking about what Atobe had told him earlier regarding a change of schools since this could be his big moment to go pro with the sport. Furthermore, Ryoma could be leaving his old school and let his successor take over since this was the first time that Kevin would be residing in Japan and starting a new life here.

Flashback

"Why did you want Ryoma to come to our school?" asked Oshitari.

"I want to make sure that he gets the best care possible here after his semester ends at Seigaku. Besides, since Kevin is a new transfer student, I am sure that Ryoma's friends over there will make that American Kid feel welcome and it could be his big opportunity to go pro as well." Said Atobe.

"You're kidding me! You mean the only reason why you dated that brat was to make him go pro like Tezuka? No way, that could be challenging even for him. Furthermore, Ryoma and Kevin are both born and raised in America, you know that? I am sure there are schools there that can turn them into pros, but why have him join us?"

"Like I said, if Ryoma can get the training he needs here at Hyoutei, then I am sure the world cup will give him a chance to prove himself." Smiled Atobe.

Oshitari could only give a groan since he has no idea why his captain would come up with a scheme like this. Even Gakuto was at a loss for words as well. "Still thinking that he is joking?"

"Either our captain is really crazy, or we just heard the biggest lie coming from him." said Shishido nervously.

"I never lie, and my decision is final." chuckled Atobe as he continued with whatever he was doing, leaving everyone else in awe.

End flashback.

With that thought in mind, ryoma has to make a plan of his own since his semester would be close to an end at Seigaku. However, he still has time to think about it even if it means saying good bye to his friends temporarily. Just then, his phone rang and surprisingly, it was his former captain.

"Hello Tezuka buchou, so good to hear from you. How are things?" said Ryoma.

"It's good to hear from you as well, Ryoma. So I heard the news that you are going to be starting a new semester at Hyoutei Academy, is that right? Well, congrats to you and I wish you luck."

"Thanks buchou, but I have not made my decision yet and leaving Seigaku is a big move, even for me. I am not sure if I am ready to say good-bye to my friends yet. Also, if I do go to Hyoutei, will you guys still come and visit me?"

Tezuka paused for a moment and was surprised at that response. He was beginning to get worried that Ryoma would leave his old friends for good and never come back. But then, he wiped the sweat off his face and continued, "We will always come and see you. Besides, you are the pillar of Seigaku and as long as we are around, we will keep playing tennis with you no matter how much time goes by. Furthermore, we all think of you as our brother and a close friend. So if you ever need anything, just stop by anytime."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, I will definitely do that. And also, Atobe tells me that they will take very good care of me when I am at hyoutei, but I am just not sure what to say right now."

"I know it's hard, but you are dating him, aren't you?" asked Tezuka.

Ryoma's face suddenly flushed bright red with embarrassment. "Buchou! We are not lovers, we are just friends. Even though he still continues to date me and everything, I enjoyed every second of it."

"But you have not confessed your feelings for Keigo even though you always hang around him and yet he still thinks you are his true love?" chuckled Tezuka.

"No, I never confessed. I almost did previously, but everyone starts to think I am gay or something. But I already said that I am straight and I love tennis. However, Atobe tells me to focus more on other things instead of just tennis because he feels that this game gets boring each time we face each other in a match. So, I decided to go bowling and shoot pool with him and even though I won only once, Atobe managed to beat me at pool and made the ultimate decision to let me join his school." Said Ryoma.

"Looks like that crazy stalker just never gives up on you, eh? Good luck with him because I am not sure how we can help now. Furthermore, Rikkaidai, Shitenhouji, Rokkaku, St. Rudolph, and many other schools are planning something good for you and our tennis club later on after the semester is over."

"What sort of surprise, you mean like a going away party?" asked Ryoma.

"Yes, but how did you know that?" asked Tezuka.

"Isn't it quite obvious? Kintaro was boasting and talking all day to Kenya about me leaving Seigaku and he wanted to throw me a party to wish me good luck. Tsch! That red headed freak just never gives up and he always loves to play these jokes on me. But if this is a party that he wants, then let the games begin." Smiled Ryoma.

"Good, I am glad that you finally went with your gut because trust me, everyone is going to give you something special soon. Anyway, I need to get back to my therapy session before heading off to practice. You have a good night Ryoma." Said Tezuka.

"You too buchou, good luck on your healing process." Said Ryoma. And with that, the phone disconnected and he could finally start telling his friends the plan. Soon, Atobe walked by and saw Ryoma almost half asleep and said, "Dinner is almost ready my love."

"Coming, monkey king!" said Ryoma as he hopped off the bed.

"Ore-sama demands that you refer to me by my given name only!" boasted Atobe.

"Whatever! I will stick with the nickname because it suits you perfectly."

"Don't make me regret my decision to let you join our school. Besides this is a once in a lifetime opportunity!" Warned Atobe.

Shishido and gakuto could only sigh at their argument. But they were still surprised that Ryoma would be starting a new life with them. Furthermore, Inui and Momo were wondering why Atobe suddenly made that decision.

"Our captain inflated his alter ego and now he is asking Ryoma to be a part of our tennis club now." Said Choutaro.

"I know! I just don't get it. That kid has his own school to go to and suddenly he gets invited to our school without any reason? That's just ridiculous!" growled Shishido.

"That might not be the case because there is a 90 percent chance that Ryoma could go pro while the next 50 percent tells me that he will be a part time coach for Hyoutei later on. So I am 140 percent sure that he could do both at the same time." Said inui.

"What about the final 10 percent?" asked Gakuto.

"I haven't gone that far yet. But I am pretty sure that the final ten percent will tell me if Ryoma will really confess his feelings for Atobe." Continued Inui.

"Oh, so now your captain wants that seigaku brat to start a new term at Hyoutei after he leaves his old school? Wow! Now I know why he went after that kid in the first place. No wonder Sanada had warned me that Atobe would be so conceited to come up with a scheme like this." Said Kirihara.

"He may be self-centered, narcissistic, and bratty to you all, but still he cares about all of us. Furthermore, he still has feelings for echizen and there is no way to stop him. I don't know where he got the guts to make that kid cave for him, but this is too much." Said Yuushi.

"I told you, Echizen may not care about the ladies, but having a man as his lover, no wonder he has gone off the deep end. Does this remind you of our kintaro?" continued Yuushi's cousin.

"What about kintaro?" they asked in unison.

"Well, you see how that red haired hyperactive kid always asks Ryoma for a tennis match and he rejects it each time? Furthermore, our little guy calls Ryoma 'Koshimae' and it has been going on non-stop. I don't know where he got that nickname from, but it does suit Echizen pretty well."

Everyone in the room rolled onto the floor laughing at Echizen's new name since they all thought it was really cute. "Looks like ochibi has found a troublesome rival for himself in addition to his new boyfriend. How come Sanada never confessed his feelings for me?" continued Kirihara.

"Yukimura-buchou feels that Sanada wasn't your type because he chose the big boss as his lover anyway. Furthermore, if Ryoma could fall for Atobe, then Sanada will go after his captain even though they are not going to confess their feelings for each other yet. Furthermore, I do think that Atobe has turned into someone else altogether." Continued Yuushi.

"Man, why are all the big boys dating their own captains and teammates? I wanted Oishi-buchou to date me!" whined Eiji as he glomped his doubles partner.

"Eiji, stop! Let go of me!" shouted Oishi. But it was no use no matter how hard he tried to get the red haired youngster off him. Furthermore, Yuushi and Kenya walked over, slowly picked Eiji up, and took him back to the couch while letting Oishi regain his strength. But this was Atobe that they are talking about here, a man with so much history towards Echizen that he cannot get out of his head. As for Echizen, he knows that Atobe will not change his mind ever since he asked that kid to go to his school. Furthermore, this was pretty tough on Ryoma since he does not know what else to say and so, he decided to pay his friends a visit at the control room.

"Ryoma-kun, so nice of you to join us. Where have you been all this time?" asked Momo.

"Just had to think about some things." Said Ryoma as he sat himself down on the chair.

"Let me see, you were asked to join Hyotei on behalf of Atobe, right Ochibi?" continued Eiji.

"Yes, but I am not sure if I really wanted to go there. It just came to me as a shocker ever since monkey king beat me in a game of pool. Furthermore, I still have almost a month and a half of my semester here at Seigaku and saying good bye is hard to do." Continued Ryoma.

"You should be grateful that Atobe took you to play pool last night! Now you are changing your mind about joining our school?" asked Yuushi.

"It's hard for me to make a decision at this point. Besides, I hope he already mentioned this to you guys." Continued Ryoma.

"Yes, but why did you suddenly have an interest at our school? You got your own school and the tennis courts right?" added shishido.

"I think Atobe probably wants me to go in the pro circuit if I joined Hyoutei after my semester is over. The problem is that I might have to go back to America to prepare for the world cup later on. How am I going to prepare then?" asked Ryoma.

"Yes, that is a very good question. Sometimes even I wonder what Atobe was thinking letting you join our school without notifying us. Furthermore, is he trying to keep you as his date while you come to our school?" asked Gakuto.

"Probably, he still thinks I am his lover when I clearly stated that I am just a close friend to him." Continued Ryoma.

"The probability of you joining Hyotei is around 90 percent and the probability of you starting a new life in America is around 60 percent. So therefore, I am 150 percent sure that you are going to have bigger issues ahead when you start a new life in both locations." Added Inui.

"That is a good estimate, boss. I do think that Ryoma has a lot of pressure on him now that Atobe has made this decision. Also, what did your father think of it?" asked Renji.

"He said it is a good idea and wants me to learn from the best at Hyoutei and he also wanted me to send him photos of the girls for his magazine later on," said Ryoma.

"Perverted Demon!" scowled Shishido as he rubbed Ryoma's head while gripping his body tightly.

"That hurts Shishido-sempai!" grunted Ryoma as he tried to push him away, but it was no use.

"Is he trying to force his love affairs on you? Don't lie to me!" said Shishido.

"No! He isn't doing any of that stuff. Haven't you guys been listening to what I was saying?"

"We heard you loud and clear, but you still haven't answered my question."

"Atobe has his own way of making love with people, and there is no telling what else he could do to me. Besides he has tucked me to sleep on the bed and bathed me. Would you like to know what position he arranged me?"

Choutaro and Gakuto snickered at that response. "That pipsqueak thinks Atobe had sex with him in bed! Oh my god, Ryoma you are so gay!"

Ryoma face turned red and quickly hid behind Yuushi for a moment since he had no idea what was about to hit him. Furthermore, Yuushi tried his best to contain his laughter as well but Ryoma had elbowed him slightly to make sure he does not spill the beans.

"I did not have sex with your captain last night; I merely stayed with him because he is lonely all by himself. No, I didn't hound him on the bed but he chose to keep me for himself." Continued Ryoma.

"Holy Shit! So the hyoutei captain can't sleep and he decided to let you keep him company? You got guts to sleep at their captain's house. I hope you are not committing adultery." Laughed Kirihara.

"I would never do such a thing! Besides I am not a girl so I wouldn't consider sex as my thing." Continued Ryoma.

"You are a liar and we know it!" said Momo.

"I have to agree with my rival because you almost stole Ann away from me!" continued Kamio

"I told you, An can date whomever she wants to, including me."

"Oh come on! What does she see in you?" asked Kamio.

"She knows that my love is perfect for her because my affections gave her courage to play tennis, jealous much?" Continued Momo.

"I am not jealous! Sometimes you have to ask me first before you can talk to my girlfriend." Replied Kamio.

"Whatever, dude. But now, our focus is on Ryoma and his life with Atobe. I mean just look at that crazy loon, taking our Ochibi and showing him his affections. I wonder, could Ryoma's childhood be the reason that Atobe is falling for him?" wondered Momo.

"Yeah, Ryoma never mentioned that to any of us ever since he and Atobe have been making out together." added Gakuto.

This was not going to be an easy decision for Ryoma to make because he doesn't know how to get rid of his boyfriend. Furthermore, Yuushi and kenya are almost at their wits end to come up with something to get Atobe to come to his senses. However, Ryoma feels that his so called boyfriend has been confused at his plan since he is depending on everyone to come and see him making out with Echizen. Furthermore, questioning Atobe's motives would be pointless since no one knows the kind of intelligent answers that Atobe will tell them. Aside from that, Atobe has been keeping Ryoma's stuff at his estate so that he would not forget them.

So what? Atobe loves to care for Ryoma and wants him safe. There was nothing wrong with that, but Choutaro and Shishido feels that their captain is definitely hiding something from them. At this rate, pouting about it wasn't going to solve anything since they will not know what their deranged captain could plan next for his lover. Furthermore, Ryoma has gotten a fruit basket from the Shitenhouji team right after the pool game since this was the first time that they ever did something nice for Ryoma, and this leaves everyone else to wonder what other damages were done on Echizen since a lot of people have had it with that pompous jerk.

"So guys, what do you suggest I should do now? I mean if I go to Hyoutei, I probably could end up training for a bit or play some practice matches with some first year students. After all, you got some newbies that can barely pick up balls or hit them right?" asked Ryoma.

"I don't know how many new players we have at our school. Right now, we have been on tight schedules and many of the new students are starting off as recruits. Furthermore, if Atobe is okay with this, we need his approval." Continued Yuushi.

"He just can't start asking you to join unless our coach says it's okay as well. I mean what was he even thinking? If this is some sort of a joke to him, we're not laughing. Also, think carefully before you make that hasty decision." Added Gakuto.

"You're right. Maybe I can just hold off for now, but I just heard that Atobe told me that he will spend the next several weeks with me during the summer season and will continue to take me places. I don't know what I can do now since he invited you guys to come along for the ride as well." Said Ryoma.

All of the Hyoutei tennis club teammates looked at each other and were shocked. "Oh shit, now our captain is expecting us to join you guys on the date? Wait a minute, what sort of game is he playing now? Why do we get the feeling that he is going to use us as his playmates?" continued Choutaro

"Because he feels that you guys are needed on this date and he also has invited the Shitenhouji tennis club along as well since Kintaro cannot stop thinking about Ryoma. I am starting to think that he is thinking about all of us for a change because he wants everyone of us to be safe, including his date. So therefore, he decided to take you guys and Shitenhouji straight to Hokkaido for a summer vacation." Continued Fuji.

"Wait, are you sure that's where the next date is going to be?" commented Gakuto.

"He sent you guys the message from his cellphone, every single word of it is true." Said Kenya as he checked his recent messages on his phone and sure enough, it was listed under new messages. Everyone was shocked to hear that they were going on a vacation, but even they cannot figure out why their captain planned something like this.

"My god, where on earth does he have the resources to plan a big trip like this for us?" asked Shishido.

"He is a rich man and he will always plan a vacation right after the semester ends. So he wants us to meet him at the train station after school ends so that the trip can get underway. Furthermore, he promised that once Ryoma lost to him at the pool table, he will be free to do whatever he wishes with that brat from Seigaku in Hokkaido." Continued Marui.

"Are you kidding me? He gets to spend his vacation with that brat while we are left to hang out with Shitenhouji? That bastard has so much explaining to do!" roared Shishido.

"Shishido-san, I am sure there is a simple explanation to all of this, Maybe his family booked the vacation together with him and then relayed the message to us?" continued his partner.

"That good for nothing rich bastard! He makes hasty decisions and then takes Ryoma for himself while leaving the rest of us to deal with these middle school has-beens from Osaka. This is unacceptable!" continued Shishido.

Kenya suddenly vein popped. "Who are you calling has-beens? Need I remind you that we are the best tennis teams around in Japan?"

"Yeah right, Ryoma beat you guys blindfolded previously, which is why Atobe had a reason to put him in our school." Smiled Yuushi.

"That kouhai brat should have been placed in Shitenhouji and not Hyoutei! You know for a fact that we can turn Ryoma into a professional right now!" protested Kenya

"Sorry, dearest cousin. but Atobe has called dibs on Ryoma which means he belongs with us, right pipsqueak?" continued the blue haired kid as he ruffled Ryoma's hair.

"Guys why are you fighting over which school I should go to? It doesn't matter! I like you both a lot as friends so it could go either way since I have to work on making this decision on my own. Besides, Atobe would probably tell me to go shopping with you right about now since he just texted me saying, "My lover, please go shopping with the Oshitari cousins immediately since I cannot have them fighting during the Hokkaido trip." Love, Atobe.

"Love, Atobe? What the hell is up to now? And why did Atobe sent that love message out to Ryoma? 

"I don't know what my lover is thinking, but he probably just wanted me to hang out with you guys because he wants me to spend more time together with you two. I don't know what other strange ideas that my so called boyfriend is going to come up with but let's get this over with." Said Ryoma as he took both of his sempais' hands and headed out the door leaving the others to wonder if that narcissist had made a huge mistake planning something like this. Furthermore, Yuushi and Kenya could see that Ryoma was tagging along with them as they went inside the store.

"Why are you here shopping with us?" asked Kenya.

"Don't look at me, Atobe told him to tag along with us. So whatever scheme he is planning, we will put a stop to it." added Yuushi as they gathered the necessary foods and snacks for their Hokkaido trip while Ryoma gathered up some reading material for the long trip since he can't wait for his summer vacation date with Atobe and the rest of his friends. As the cousins looked at him, they were confused as to why he was asked to go with them on this summer vacation since Atobe should have kept this location hidden until the end of the semester, but it was useless now since he already sent out the invitations to every single school.

By the time shopping was finished, Ryoma seems to be pretty comfortable around the Oshitari cousins since he had to carry all the groceries for them once they got back. Afterwards, Ryoma feels that he could change his life around if he stays at hyoutei as requested by Atobe since he wanted to spend more time with the captain and do fun things together as lovers.

That night as he headed back to his house, his cat pounced on him for a little snuggling since he didn't see his master for such a long time now. His father already knows the situation that his son is in right now and would not pressure him in to making a decision that could change his life forever. He has been in Seigaku for a long time practicing his moves on tennis and making friends at that place. However, Ryoma feels that his old school was just too much for him to handle since he has been thinking about moving onward to a new location since he cannot spend his entire time at Seigaku forever. Soon, his father arrived on the scene.

"So Ryoma, I heard that your boyfriend has asked you to join his school, am I right?"

"I believe so. Unfortunately, I don't know if it's the right path that I should take since Atobe wants me to make a fresh start in a new school. Also, I could just go to America and become a pro even without going to Hyoutei," said Ryoma.

"Nonsense! I think hyoutei academy is perfect for you. Besides though I am sure your boyfriend will want to see you improve further on your tennis skills. Overall, you have done well at Seigaku, but you really have to accept Atobe's offer." Said Nanjiro as he rubbed his son's shoulder.

"Are you sure about this, oya-ji? And also Atobe isn't my boyfriend, we are just friends!" protested Ryoma.

"Just go for it, I respect your decision and will support you all the way when you transition into Hyoutei, I think your friends can understand about your decision to change schools since I wanted them to wish you well. Just think about it okay? I am sure Atobe will know what you plan to do by tomorrow." Continued his father as they sat down for dinner.

"You're right, but I will think about it before I make my choice." Said Ryoma.

Ryoma is really planning to go to a new school right after this semester is over and frankly, his friends are wondering if he really made the right choice. Furthermore, Atobe has thrown in a couple of surprises for his teammates, his date, and the Shitenhouji tennis club because everyone has to spend their time with Ryoma before he starts a new chapter in his life.


	13. Confession and Glory

The next day at Seigaku, practice went on as usual with the students working on their swings and gathering balls because so many of them did not know how to serve or return balls to their opponents. Furthermore, the new soon-to-be captain Shuichiro Oishi and Momo had to spend their time training the newbies while Eiji and Fuji were busy helping Kachiro and Katsuo with their homework in the clubroom because they didn't want to hear about Ryoma's bragging of Atobe here in the courts since the coach had excused him from practice. However, when Ryoma showed up for practice, he greeted his sempais before changing to his tennis gear.

"Looks like Ochibi is in a happy mood today, nya?" said Fuji.

"Yeah, I wonder what made him like this?" added Saeki as he continued practicing with Arai since they knew exactly why that brat started seeing Atobe. Furthermore, they have seen the video of those two lovebirds hanging out together from time to time since they just wanted a chance to be together and make a bond that will never be separated. At this rate, it seems that Atobe will not stop until he makes Ryoma confess his true feelings for that diva.

Once Ryoma changed clothes, he walked over to his partner Momo and said, "Please gather the rest of the teammates around, I have an important announcement to make."

Everyone was confused as to why Ryoma had summoned them during practice when the coach was busy helping her granddaughter making a surprise party for the little brat that will start of a new life in a different school since this was his chance to make his family and his friends proud of his goal and his accomplishments he made over the last 3 years at Seigaku.

"So what's up Ochibi? What did you want to tell us?" asked Eiji.

"Well, for starters, you know that I got a letter from coach sakaki asking me to join his school right? However, I just feel that it might be too soon and I don't want to say good bye to you guys. Furthermore, I am not sure if going to hyoutei would make you guys happy or so."

Everyone was silent for a moment, especially for kaidou and Inui since they couldn't know what to say. However, Fuji immediately placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and hugged him.

"Ryoma-kun, I know it's hard for you to make a decision about transferring to Hyoutei, but sooner or later, you have to go there if you want to be a pro. We are all happy for you."

"yeah, it's not like we are going to go anywhere when you are gone. You can always come back and visit us anytime here at Seigaku. After all, you are the pillar of this school." Continued Oishi

"I know that, but it seems that Monkey king has found me attractive and he just wants me to make sure I am well accommodated to their place since it's so big. I might get lost with the classrooms and everything." added Ryoma.

"I know that feeling. When tezuka was here on his first day, he was so nervous about tennis that he couldn't even start hitting the ball and he had trouble making friends because he was bullied too much. However, after some coaching from his former mentor and captain, he started to become serious about the game and would play non-stop in order to better himself and he sees that flame in you as well. So, you shouldn't be nervous since you have us to guide you." Said Taka.

"He's right and I do agree because like you, Tezuka has to practice day and night without stopping because he practically treats tennis as if it was some sort of a game to him. And I can see that he passed that legacy onto you because it's your job to show the world what the sport truly means to them." Said Momo.

Ryoma looked at them for a moment and smiled. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys. I was just worried that I might not get treated fairly at hyoutei because I might get kicked out on the first day of my new year. However, I am not going to let that bother me because I will do what is necessary and win my lover's heart."

"You are still hanging around with that pompous jerk named Atobe? When will you stop pestering him?" asked Kaido.

"It seems that the brat cannot leave his boyfriend alone because he hasn't fully confessed his feelings. But I am betting that he is about to let it all out after school is over and I am 95 percent sure of it." Smiled Inui.

"that lucky brat thinks he can confess his feelings towards a guy that treats him like royalty?" boasted Ikeda.

"Of course! Why do you think he has been spending so much time hanging out with the guys at Hyoutei? I am sure that his teammates are not amused at what their captain is doing, but I think they should really cut him some slack. I mean atobe has his reasons for wanting ryoma to himself and they just need to let them have some time alone together, there is nothing wrong with that right? Honestly, the guys at Shitenhouji just would not stop bragging about Ryoma's love life. I wonder why they have left behind a cake for the people at Hyoutei with the lettering of Ryoma and Atobe forever?" continued Oishi.

"Who knows? It's not like Atobe is going to ask for Ryoma's hand in marriage." Finished Horio.

"I always wanted to see Ryoma and Atobe at their wedding because it is so cute seeing them as a couple." Whined Tomoka.

"Tomoka, whatever lies you have heard from Ryoma is not true, He stated that he and Atobe are just friends." Continued the captain.

"Maybe I have been too friendly towards Atobe and it was making me nervous to confess. That's the reason why I was acting so strangely! Thank you for giving me the courage to open up my heart!" said Ryoma as he shook his captain's hand while hugging him.

"Um… you're welcome?" Oishi was confused as to why Ryoma thanked him when none of them said anything. By the time school was on its lunch break, the short-pants kid rushed over to Hyoutei since he knows that atobe could still be at the cafeteria while his teammates were busy training for the last few ten minutes since they are fully aware of the situation at hand. Even Choutaro and Shishido had no words to describe their mind fucked captain about why he always goes after that seigaku brat. Furthermore, that kid was only a few years younger than Atobe and they still were rivals and friends.

Soon, the kid arrived in the cafeteria, only to see Gakuto and Oshitari at the table talking amongst themselves and decided to sit next to them while drinking ponta.

"Hey, guys. Just wanted to stop by for a little bit. Is this seat taken?"

"Hello yourself, brat! What brings you here today? Don't you have your own school cafeteria to go to?" asked Gakuto.

"Nah, coach excused me from the school cafeteria because she didn't want me to spread my peverted thoughts throughout the building because it would drive the upperclassmen nuts. Furthermore, Fuji Syusuke teased me saying "You should spend more time with your lover because he is so attractive." I don't know what he meant by that but—"

Before Ryoma could continue, Gakuto cut him off and said, "Really? For real? You think our captain is attractive?"

"Yes, I know so. However, I was so nervous at making a confession to him because I couldn't think of anything to say before. So at this point, I am ready to show my true feelings for him." Continued Ryoma.

Yuushi and Gakuto snickered at each other and couldn't believe the words that came out of the brat's mouth since there was no way that the captain would believe him. However, as Atobe walked into the café, he grabbed the foods that he need and sat down next to ryoma.

"What's up monkey king?"

"Brat! Ore-sama reminds you to stop calling me monkey king because it does not fit my image! Second, did you just say that I am attractive? How nice of you to say that! You really do have feelings for me!"

"Che! That's only the beginning even if we are not actually beginning the stages of love yet. But yes, that's the reason why I came here because we could be getting closer together!" exclaimed Ryoma.

"really? Well, thank the lucky stars that destiny has smiled upon us." smiled Atobe as he embraced Ryoma in a tight hug, leaving the doubles pair in shock.

"Are you seriously kidding me? That kid came all the way over here to confess his true feelings now? Oh shit! Someone is seriously confused here." Oshitari thought to himself. Furthermore, he was certain that his captain would be coming to his senses by now. Furthermore, he should have warned echizen about what Atobe could be capable of doing but the brat couldn't care less since these two have so much in common together now.

"Monkey King, I really do love you and I am so sorry that it took me this long to confess to you because I was too nervous to say anything." Said Ryoma

"You don't need to apologize because ore-sama knows that you are not keeping secrets from me. Furthermore, from the day I met you, I knew that you would be mine forever, my young prince. At this point, the trip to Hokkaido will go as planned with the teams that I have selected so you better prepare yourself for a party since I need those seigaku brats there as well."

"Of course, king Atobe!" and with that Echizen immediately sent a text to his teammates and reminded them of the Hokkaido trip since there could be a tennis match going on with all the school teams present.

Just then, the silver pair arrived and sees Ryoma sitting next to Atobe and was about to say something when Yuushi approached them and said, "Ryoma finally confessed that he loves Atobe and finds him attractive. Looks like that brat didn't heed my warning."

"Are you serious? Atobe, is this true? Did that brat really say that he truly loves you?" asked a shocked Shishido.

"Yes, he did confess, but earlier he told me that he was nervous and couldn't say anything last time, but now he was more confident and was more forthcoming this time around so I decided to invite him and his teammates to Hokkaido for the summer break." Continued Atobe.

"Dude, come on now! You know that some of us might have other plans after graduation right? How come your schedules have been booked with so much free time for the summer?" asked Ryou.

"Ore-sama likes to keep a tight ship because he does not want to be bored with strenuous activities. Besides, my parents are too busy right now since they are fully aware of me dating Echizen. Furthermore, I think they would like to see him more often at my house sometime soon because my father loves him dearly just like his old man nanjiroh. Therefore, our parents are best friends for quite a long time now and they are perfectly fine with us hanging out together." Continued Atobe.

Everyone inside the cafeteria had a little clue as to what was going on, including the doubles partners because many of them either jaw-dropped or just ignored the whole thing and didn't have a care in the world. Suddenly, Yuushi raised his hand and asked, "Atobe, what about when Echizen mentioned that he was straight?"

Atobe didn't reply at that response except throwing his head back and laughing like a maniac because the concept of gay and straight didn't mean anything to him. Furthermore, Gakuto had a look of confusion on his face, especially from the crowd of supporters and the fangirls at the cafeteria. Some of them were murmuring about the whole date thing between Ryoma and Atobe since and feared that the brat could end up being the master's second son. At this rate, Shishido wanted to leave them be since there was no way that he or choutaro would get involved in their little romance shindig because the whole thing about Echizen being straight was a joke to him. However, given the fact that Momo almost tried to date Ann tachibana and Sengoku being straight, everyone had fears around them.

"I don't fucking believe this," he could hear Shishido grumbling while studying the pamphlet of the Hokkaido trip, "Since when did our captain turn Echizen into his love child?"

"Well, the fact that they are both brats tells me that they are fixated on each other's thoughts and feelings. I do believe that my partner has been keeping some secrets from me, isn't that right, partner?" He then glared at his partner who went and hid behind the trash cans. Of course, Yuushi will have to think of a plan to put an end to this love madness because it was spreading like wildfire. However, he was annoyed when Echizen showed up at Hyoutei unannounced, but there was no way that anyone can escort him off school grounds right now. Furthermore, he will take care of any mishaps later, but right now the secrets have been revealed since Atobe had followed Echizen's every move since he had told the kid to mention the dating scheme to every other school so that they can witness the fireworks for themselves.

Once Atobe turned his attention to the crowd, he grabbed the loudspeaker on the desk next to him and said, "All right guys, prepare for the upcoming trip and gather the necessities you will need. We are going to have a party that will rock your hearts out. In the meantime, enjoy your lunches because I have some business to attend to with the newbies in the tennis courts."

As the crowd dispersed from the cafeteria after lunch, Oshiari was the only one that was still here cleaning up the mess that some of the students had left behind since it was pointless for him to question Atobe's motives behimd his dating scheme since he was more than just a lunatic with issues. As he headed to the courts, he finds Atobe sitting on the benches next to Ryoma, who was sipping on ponta since the crowd had been left to train with tennis balls.

"Atobe! I need to talk to you." Called Oshitari.

"What is it?" replied Atobe.

Oshitari paused to shake his head to eliminate the headaches that were brewing through him. "Seriously, man, are you sure that kid is the right type for you? If you really are dating him, make sure that he is the right match for you."

Atobe turned and placed his hand on the blue haired boy's shoulder and smiled, "Oshitari, my honorifically challenged friend, Echizen is but a mere companion to my taste because his soul just brings happiness to my heart. So therefore, to see if the two sexes really match, this is something that only I can accomplish. You need not to worry."

Before Oshitari could get any replies, he knows what was dealt in his hand and this time, he can see that his captain was beginning to act abnormally. "How do you know this will work? You know, on second thought, I will talk with someone who knows." With a sigh, he immediately picked up his phone and decided to call Fuji Syusuke since this guy can handle almost any love situation between a man and a woman.

Once he got a hold of the third year senior, Fuji immediately picked up and said, "Hello Yuushi, what can I do for you?"

There was a pause of silence on the courts of Hyoutei as Oshitari contined, "Fuji, thank goodness! I wanted to ask you, is Echizen really gay or straight? Because I couldn't get any answers from my captain, I wanted to ask you right off the bat."

"Excuse me?" Fuji held the phone tightly between himself and Oishi

"I asked you is Echizen gay or straight, this is crucial."

"Why?" asked the Seigaku student since he had some suspicions about the date thing.

"Well, Atobe has invited his date to Hokkaido and he is taking you guys along for the ride, including other schools in order to celebrate their shindig. Yes, there will be flowers presented and I needed to reserve some Deejays for the music, but I am not sure what kind of music that they like."

"I see, well…" Atobe's expression was too priceless because he could imagine what Fuji would look like dancing with skinless tops at Hokkaido, but Shishido was trying to clear his captain's perverted mind. "You realize that our Ryoma had showed his true feelings for your captain and plays tennis non-stop, right? So I do believe he will like almost any guy that Hyoutei or Rikkaidai has to offer."

"Humor me, so does Echizen like boys or girls?"

"That doesn't matter as long as he can get a guy to actually enjoy the presents that he can present them with. I don't see any problems here since tennis is his favorite sport. I bet that a lot of girls from your school would want to play him right?" continued Fuji.

"well, I can try asking the girls, but some just would ignore Echizen and want to face Atobe. Although I am certain that our captain is not interested in them, he prefers Echizen instead because only that kid can clear his mind of the girls that annoyed the hell out of our captain during math class." Replied Oshitari.

"Good luck, and I am sure me and my brother will have more information for you when we get to Hokkaido. Oh, and the coach said that Ryoma won't be needing any disturbance from the girls at Seigaku since all they could do is cheer like idiots. Anyway, I need to go and finish up my rounds of training some newbies, talk to you later!" And with that, the line disconnected, leaving Oshitari with a blank stare on his face and watching Atobe's confident look on his face as if he had won this round. "This is considered to be a time well spent between us lovers" said atobe as he holds a finger upon his friend's nose before picking up his racket and returned to practice.

As Oshitari looked back at his captain and Kabaji, he studied the cell phone and smiled. Atobe, you may have won that brat as your true love. But understand this; you are only going to make a jackass out of yourself. I mean, would it bother you to take your mind off Echizen for a little while and focus on school? The thought of him is getting into your head! I wouldn't mind you looking after that kid, but all of us are like brothers to him as well. You got to give us a chance to see if he is really ready for this sort of thing. At this point, Oshitari started blushing and quickly returned to his senses. "What the hell am I doing? I already am aware that brat was going to attend our school as a high school freshman next semester and doing coaching as a part time job. But why did our captain ask us to keep an eye on him? Ah screw it! I don't need to worry as long as we keep him company."

Soon, Yuushi returned to where Gakuto and Shishido were practicing with Choutaro and Taki and said, "Well, it seems that Fuji told me that Echizen will fall for almost any girl that he chooses."

"Seriously, when did that sadistic brat start to become an expert on romance?" asked Shishido.

"well, if what Fuji said is true, then we should hook Echizen up with a couple of the girls to see if they are really interested in dating him or playing tennis with him. Maybe that could get him to interact with them." Said Yuushi.

"An interesting idea, we shall see if any of them are tennis enthusiasts." Added Gakuto.

The three of them left to find a few girls from Atobe's fanclub, but only a few of the girls were tennis players while the others gave up the sport to become cheerleaders. However, the three girls that were picked barely knew how to swing the racket or hit balls so this could be echizen's chance to show them how to play the sport.

As echizen looked around at the tennis courts, he could see a few first year students struggling to hold tennis rackets and some having a hard time hitting the balls and decided to help out.

"Sir, you are holding the tennis racket wrong. You are supposed to gold the tennis racket grip with your hand on the bottom and use your other hand to smooth the nets and make sure that it is ready to hit the ball as it comes at you. Also, you guys, this is tennis, not baseball. Stop using the rims of the tennis racket to hit balls. Finally, you don't swing rackets from side to side, you are supposed to hit the ball with force, like you really mean it."

Soon, everyone started to follow echizen's example and decided to improve their skills which surprised atobe. "Wow, looks like my date really does have what it takes to be a part time assistant coach for our school."

As the doubles partners returned with the girls, they are surprised to see the Seigaku brat teaching them the basics of tennis such as wait and hit and swinging basics. Then then rushed over to their captain and Gakuto said, "Since when did that brat become such an expert at tennis?"

"Well, as soon as he saw those two first year kids struggling with their rackets, he immediately showed them how to take care of their equipment carefully so that they don't scratch up the rims. I am actually impressed that the kid seems to be learning from the best at his old school." Smiled Atobe.

Elsewhere, the gang from seigaku, including Akaya and Sanada watched from the audio-visual room and they were shocked. "How did that guy become such a good teacher?" asked Akaya.

"I think he must have inherited that trait from Tezuka before he left for Germany. Furthermore, he also showed them your moves as well so that they can train harder to improve their skills. So his chances of becoming an assistant coach at Hyoutei is seventy percent." Said Inui as he recorded the data in his notebook.

Sanada could only smile at the brat since he had come a long way after starting out at seigaku. Furthermore, the kid must have been trained towards his limits from his own captain in order to pass it to the next batch of newbies. However, he still couldn't believe that Atobe had made it his mission to keep echizen for as long as needed since he showed his true feelings for that diva.

"So you are telling me that he finally opened up his heart towards that crazy loon?" said Sanada.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, he told Atobe the message inside the cafeteria after entering the school grounds, so in other words, he is ready to meet girls that are his same age." Said Eiji.

"That brat still has a lot to learn about girls because the way I see it, some of them don't seem to be interested in Echizen right now," added Akaya.

Sanada looked at him for a moment and placed a reassuring shoulder on his teammate, "Akaya, Echizen will get there when the time is right since he needs to interact with the girls a little more before they get a chance to warm up to him since he is relatively new to this dating scheme. I think if we just give him the time he needs, perhaps he could let one of those girls dance with him at Hokkaido."

"Really? Well, we will see just how good he is with girls because we saw how badly he treated Sakuno after rejecting her foods during the national tournament." Continued Akaya.

"that's because he didn't like it that much and decided to give it to Kintaro. So he didn't do so well with her." Continued Momo.

"He was such an idiot back then." Agreed Inui.

As the others watched, Ryoma could see the girls approaching towards him and asked, "You much be Echizen Ryoma, nice to meet you! We are just starting out with the basics of tennis and we see that you must have taught them the basics. Can you head over to the machine and give us some practice?"

"I would love to, but I want to make certain that you guys are serious about the sport itself," contined Echizen.

"we will try our best, Master Echizen." The girls bowed at him and shook his hand before leading him to the warm up zone.

"Since when did Ryoma become a master?" asked Shishido

"He isn't a master yet, I think those girls are confused." Continued yuushi.

"I think those girls are going to get along really well with that brat." Smiled Atobe as he and Kabaji walked over to the practice area together to offer their support for the kid before their upcoming trip.

Looks like Echizen really knows his stuff about the sport and about dating. But now, he is going to show a few girls just what the sport is really about. I am starting to get the feeling that he was taught by the best of the best. So we shall see how these new guys will do in the sport itself.

What did you think? please favorite and review.


	14. A Calming Passion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyoutei's First Date
> 
> By: NarutoandBleach
> 
> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.

As the school draws to a close, everyone wrapped up practice before cleaning up the field and heading home for studying since many of them have basically passed what they have learned so far. As for the rest, they still had a lot more to work on here at Hyoutei so more work might be required. Elsewhere, Atobe and the others were back in the club room finishing their work with Echizen following them.

"So, guys. How did I do with that little coaching thing?" he asked them.

"You were amazing out there my dear! I didn't know you had that much passion in you for teaching tennis to beginners. Also, I think you really do have what it takes to be a hyoutei trainer." Smiled Atobe.

"I had to do my best out there since some of those new students had missed a few balls when swinging. So as long as they continue to work on that, it should be okay." Said Ryoma.

"Dude, your other girlfriend, Sakuno Ryuzaki of Seigaku heard that you taught her the basics as well and showed her what tennis is all about. I can imagine what my cousin would think if he saw you sharing your teaching skills at his school." Continued Yuushi.

"Unfortunately, Kenya-sempai tells me that his school has a bunch of idiots that are too lazy to practice and some didn't show up at the courts because of other school related activities. Furthermore, I don't know if any of them knows what tennis is or if they have any passion for that sport. Not even coach Osamu can straighten them out. I bet Shiraishi is pissed and would not hesitate to use his poison arm to slap some sense into those newbies." Continued Ryoma.

"He can be soft and gentle, but don't mess with him or his lovers." Said Gakuto nervously.

"Anyway guys, I believe that when my first day of high school starts, I think I will be pretty comfortable around here since I've been like family to you all. Although I know that Atobe will probably follow me around yet again but whatever. I will be back to check to see how much improvement that these guys have later on." Said Ryoma.

"So, you really are coming to our school? That's so cool! I can't wait to practice with you because you seem to really care about us. I can tell that Fuji took you under his wing when you were made bench coach during our first meeting. I can see that you have that passion for tennis and I look forward to working with you." Said Jirou as he shook Ryoma's hand.

"Thanks, Jirou. Also, my parents are going on an extended vacation for the summer time so this gives me a chance to spend more time with you guys at the beach. Of course, my cat would also love to join you since we all need someone to look after him and I cannot leave him all alone in the house." Continued Ryoma.

"Hey, not to worry! We will all be happy to look after your cat. But seriously though, you should try and date other people instead of just our captain because Yukimura wants some love from you as well." Continued Taki.

"Are you cheating on ore-sama? You better not or else I will introduce you to some painful torture." Atobe glared at him with an evil smirk.

"No way, I would never cheat on you. I am sure Yukimura wants me to spend time helping him setting up the plants at his school since Fuji and Shiraishi are already on their way. I should probably get going so I will see you soon!" with that Ryoma darted out the door and into the open streets towards Rikkaidai while Atobe looked from the window above.

"That brat really knows how to make a getaway when I deadpanned at him. Besides, I think our destiny has finally brought us together."

"Seriously? Why are you still going after that kid?" asked Shishido.

"I need to make sure that he is safe from danger and I will have my men guard his house from intruders while his family is out on their vacation. Besides, we will all be there at Echizen's house for a little bit and I can try and expand it a little more so that we all have room to sleep there." Said Atobe.

"Are you out of your mind? You mean we all have to spend the night at that brat's house while his parents are away? What if his parents find out about us being there?" shouted Hiyoshi.

"Hey, it shouldn't be a problem. His father told us that we can stay for as long as we need to because that brat needs company and we don't want him to be all alone with his cat. I am sure your cousin would want to stay with him as well?" Atobe turned to Yuushi with that maniacal smile, causing the teammate to step back from getting molested.

"Geez, sometimes you scare me, Atobe-sama. But, I will try and talk to my cousin at his place once school is over." Groaned Yuushi.

Elsewhere at Rikkaidai, Fuji and Shiraishi arrived at the captain's office and could see that the place was covered with his plants since he also gave the one to his principal as a gift because of his wedding anniversary. Furthermore, Sanada and Akaya were not fans of his plants and decided that they must head back to his house since his grandfather was asking for a shogi match with Tezuka's grandfather even when they are rivals. But when a text message came telling them that tezuka was busy healing his injuries, his grandfather actually agreed and decided to play his rival.

"Ah, that was a quick response. But Tezuka-buchou will suffer my wrath for missing out on our game!"

"Fuku-buchou! You really are scary sometimes." Added Akaya.

"Tarundoru! No one asked for your opinion, seaweed head! My little nephew has been annoying me to no end thinking I am his uncle when clearly she should have addressed me as his big brother. So, I need you to keep him occupied for a while, okay?

"What? Why me! I got my own plans and…" He could see that Sanada had vein popped while raising his hands ready to slap him for defying his request.

"OKAY! I will do it! Geez!" shouted Akaya.

Sanada finally calmed himself down and sighed.

By the time night fell, Ryoma could hear his lover knocking since he had the key and opened the door without any hesitation. Furthermore, Karupin heard who was at the door and immediately waited for him to come in while trying to eat some of the fruit that his friends left for him in a fruit basket since the ribbons are a cat's favorite toy. "Hey Karupin, let go of the ribbons." He was laughing while trying to store the ribbons on top of a shelf. "You're lucky that I find you cute." He reminded the cat while putting the fruit basket outside for his lover.

"Is everything okay in there?" asked Atobe from the outside.

Ryoma sighed for a moment while holding his cat close to him since there was no way he can open the door with a cat in his lap. Furthermore, he unlocked the latch from his door and clicked the doorknob in order to let his guest in. "Monkey King, there is another spare key on top of the shelf outside and if you use that one, you should have no problems. Anyway come on in."

Atobe immediately showed himself in while ignoring the dangling shelf outside since the screws were knocked off from its hinges. "Your shelf is falling apart, I am going to have to let Mukahi take a look at that tomorrow. Anyway, you could have left your door unlocked!" scolded the visitor. "If anyone came by, they would be knocked out and—"

This was nothing new to Atobe when he saw flowers and a fruit basket after stopping mid-sentence. Even Echizen was surprised himself to see the amount of stuff he was getting from other schools.

'That's… quite a fruit basket and flowers." Said the Hyoutei captain.

This was quite a surprise because Echizen's house wasn't that big and his bathtub couldn't fit anyone big. Furthermore, there were blueberries, cherries, pineapples, and mangos along with grapes and bananas packed with well-done curls and ribbons. Furthermore, the room smelled like oranges and apples. As for Ryoma, he didn't seem to have a chance to open the envelope and find out who sent him the fruit basket because karupin had been keeping his master busy since he grew fond of the ribbons.

Ryoma turned to atobe and said, "Please help me move the fruit basket to a safe location because I don't want my cat to tear it apart."

"Sure thing." Replied Atobe as he took a handle from one side of the basket while Echizen placed his cat inside his comfy bed while taking the other side of the basket handle and placed it in the back room. "Now as for your key, why are you giving it to me?" asked Atobe.

"I have no use for it, so I wanted you to keep it because in case if you wanted to stop by for a special occasion you are more than welcome to do so. Furthermore, I got other keys on my keychain in case that I get locked out. So where else am I going to keep it since my room has no place for a key now, why do you still want to know about it?" said Ryoma.

"You are too important to me and I want to keep you safe from harm." Replied Atobe.

There it was. Ryoma tried to shake off that weird feeling from his neck when Atobe started going all boyfriend on him. At this rate, Atobe is taking the date thing for granted since they never played any matches of tennis since the Hyoutei captain finds it too boring, just like when Nanjiro hooked echizen up with a bunch of ladies taking him shopping for weird things. Furthermore, Ryoma never met a guy that make big fusses like this since he knows that the golden pair would sometimes make out at the clubhouse, but no one else had ever gone on a date with men. Even if Ryoma thinks that he is dating Atobe, he didn't need to complain. "This isn't Chula Vista you know." Said Ryoma

"Well, you might never know where trouble will find you when you're out in California." Continued Atobe.

Listen to the genius at geography while missing the point. Furthermore, Ryoma constantly loses track of his key when he was younger and it took him forever to find it, which was considered to be embarrassing.

"Watch your step and your head because the door is coming up." Continued Ryoma.

"Thanks for the heads up." Said Atobe. "But if you are going to have a key, keep it somewhere safe like in your desk drawer without leaving it out in the open."

"I don't have a big desk since it is old and worn out. Besides I do need a new desk anyway since I couldn't afford one in my elementary school years." Continued Ryoma. "Besides, you keep it since you are always welcome to visit me off-hours." Atobe looked at him for a moment and was stunned since he didn't know what to say.

"Are you sure you want to do this? What will your parents say?" asked Atobe.

"I am sure they know you very well already. So it's no big deal since you need it more than I do." Continued Ryoma.

"Wow, thank you. I never realized that you were so nice to me. Besides, have you thought about making your house bigger?"

"Afraid not, we didn't have the time because my father is pretty lazy since housework is not his forte and he always leaves it to my cousin since she is not a real estate developer. And besides, if I wanted the house bigger, then we would have remodeled it and – "Ah-Ah karupin!" He immediately scooped up his cat before he could get his paws on the fruits while giving him a kiss and a squeeze. After the cat was placed in his room, he slowly closed the door behind him.

"Now where was i? Oh yes, the card is actually courtesy of Shitenhouji High School and Rokkaku's Davide. I couldn't make out the bad joke he scrawled out in pen. But anyway, want an orange?" said Ryoma as he handed his guest the fruit.

"Thanks so much Ryoma." Replied Atobe as he catches the fruit and ate it. "This is good orange I tell you. Furthermore, the endeavor from Shitenhouji is truly magnificent. They are proving to be tenacious as well. I supposed this is a gift for our time in love together I assume?" At that moment, Atobe was cracking a smile since this is the first time that Echizen saw his boyfriend like that.

As Ryoma looked and studied the card carefully, he was shocked to see himself in a wedding dress and kissing his lover which left him flushed and flustered. But once atobe looked at it, he starts laughing like a maniac while hugging his boyfriend tightly. So what's the deal with the marriage drawing? Unless… Holy Shit!

Ryoma looked back at Atobe who was still talking to himself. "I think this marriage is beside the point since you normally see these sorts of things at my house. Oh, like I said, you are always welcome at my home for a little breakfast for any other reason since I always send out invitations to my teammates whenever their parents are out for any particular reason."

"Of course and thanks. As for my brother, he probably is somewhere laughing his ass off thinking that I am already married to you, but I told him that it is all a big misunderstanding and that I am not ready to propose yet. However, we have to tell the guys at Shitenhouji that the wedding isn't going to happen since they made a minor error." Continued Ryoma. Except for the fact that Nanjiro and Rinko were fully aware that their son was dating which shocked them to no end. Although they were trying to disparage this from happening, they actually decided to let Atobe keep Ryoma under his wing for a while. If Atobe's parents found out about this, they would not allow the marriage to take place except for their friendship to stay strong.

Atobe was probably standing waiting for an answer from his best friend since Echizen had a habit of rejecting his boyfriend's requests since he had thought about "ignore and move on" but today he said, "I might consider your offer." He then flipped the card and rubbed his eyes for a moment to read the notes that said "Wishing you a good marriage to the craziest guy at hyoutei and be sure to send us a picture since Zaizen wants it on his blog." At that moment, Ryoma snickered while thinking about the issue of how to thank them for the fruit while telling them that they are not married.

As atobe looked at the card, he scratched his head for a moment and said, "Just to let you know, we never got married, but I am sure they had a reason to send that note since there is no way that we missed something like this."

Echizen tried his best to wipe the whole "dated by Atobe" thing from his mind since this was a lunatic with infinite resources that is considered special in many ways, but Ryoma could handle this friend even if Atobe doesn't get dated back. At this point, the young echizen must find a new place to live since he is being stalked by the hyoutei captain and his old man all together.

"Looks like this wedding can't go on without a little music." Replied Echizen as he handed the card over.

Atobe started to laugh heartily. "I see, well my apologies for trying to start a marriage, but let's keep it as us going on dates since we need to see more of each other as the time go on."

"Don't worry, we will keep it on the down low and we missed the old wedding version."

'You're not seriously suggesting that we are going to get married right away right?" because that is not going to happen and my teammates would seriously get on my case if that occurred." Said Atobe.

"Nope, like I said, you and I need to be serious about dating if I truly love you. But for now, let's tell them this: we did not get married, but thank you for wishing us the best dated couple ever. This will be a perfect reply for Shitenhouji." Said Ryoma.

Atobe smiled and erased the whole marriage out of the picture since Shitenhouji was being ridiculous. Really, Shishido and the others were about ready to throw a fit if Ryoma really married Atobe and a parade would be out of the question. Furthermore, even Tezuka and Yukimura would never attend this sort of ridiculous same sex couple marriage because it does not fit their pride. However, did shitenhouji ever send Yukimura a fruit basket since he arranged a flower ceremony at his school? Probably not.

"Hah, look at those clowns!" laughed Atobe.

"What's funny?" asked Echizen.

"It seems that Kintaro and Koharu wants pictures of you wearing that Juliet dress from that play we did when you were younger." Said Atobe.

"That weirdo assclown Koharu? Why I am not surprised? Those people are seriously joking and ridiculous at the same time." Sighed Ryoma.

"I agree. I would probably wonder where those guys came up with that idea in the first place. Sure I may have a good looking physique, but wearing a wedding suit is not my forte." Nodded Atobe.

Echizen hoped that he didn't mean any of that since those suits were costumes for the play and not real marriage equipment because they were not girls. This would also cause Ryoma to stop believing any squabble that is coming out of the woodwork. However, the kid focused on keeping what fruits that can be placed in the fridge while wrapping the others for Atobe since he wants that guy's teammates to enjoy them as well.

"That wedding dress at the play really suited you, I am surprised that Shiraishi couldn't see that." Smiled Atobe.

"Oi, Atobe-sama! I swear I am not wearing that dress anymore in any future plays." Continued Ryoma.

"Don't worry, that's never going to happen since our school is putting ona new play without any dress costumes." Responsed Atobe.

"Good."

"Do you need help?"

"I got it, and also the trash can is right there in the living room and the sink is in the kitchen." Said Ryoma as he tried to sort out the fruits quickly while trying to stop the crazy talk from his crazy boyfriend. However it would be a waste to throw the gift out now since some of them are perishable. Elsewhere Atobe was playing with karupin as he scratched the cat's belly gently while the kitty cuddled in the man's hands since he was infatuated with this lover.

"Hey, I left your half on the front porch and make sure to let your teammates thank me for the fruits. Also, I will try and stop by at Hyoutei for some practice matches during the summer before we head to Hokkaido." Replied Ryoma.

"Thank you so much, I will be sure to let my driver take care of that." Smiled Atobe as he took the basket towards the car after waving to his driver before letting echizen inside the car. After the door was closed, he waved back at Karupin to make sure he does not go anywhere near the basket. Furthermore, Echizen was hungry as he saw his visitor smiling at him.

"What?" asked Echizen.

"Nothing, I am thinking that some of the friends in the area are not that supportive, so we need to give them something to show our token of appreciation." suggested Atobe.

"No problems, just so we are clear, we did not get married. The guys at Shitenhouji made a mistake in writing that note."

"I know that." Soon enough, Echizen turned away putting the melon outside so that it does not get rotted out before sensing Atobe hugging him from behind. He struggled to set himself free but didn't put up a fight.

"Seriously, why are you glomping me like Eiji or Mukahi does? Get off me!" protested Ryoma.

"Sorry about that, I just thought that you needed that because friends do that when we get a gift like this." Continued Atobe.

"It's okay, but let's get the wedding off our heads." Said Ryoma.

~/~

By the time Atobe returned to his homeroom, Oshitari could see Atobe reading more of those love novels while he was preparing for his musical recital since he can tell that the mood of his captain didn't go so well. This had never happened to him before ever since the whole dating scheme started with the Seigaku brat. However, Atobe was still smiling in a good way since he felt happy to be getting a date from that kid. That brat was going to get whatever is coming to him for messing with this diva.

"I see you are doing some reading?" he asked his captain.

"Yep. This is a love story." Said Atobe while studying the contents of the novel carefully while sighing and looking up at the sunlight. "love is a battlefield in Romance where men must fight to get their pride and joy back."

Oshitari was a bit confused at Atobe's strange remark but decided to focus his mind on his musical work since he knows how determined his captain wanted to see this date through. Furthermore, some serious shit was about to go down when they are going to Hokkaido.

"A battle is never won unless one man covers for his beloved's pride. However, when the lover dies, the beloved goes into a fit of rage and wants revenge. Once his fate is sealed, his homeland will be a distant memory."

You call that a love story? It's more like War and Peace! Thought Oshitari to himself before noticing the keys that he had stashed on his desk and decided to ask him on the nose. Furthermore, Atobe was thinking about letting Echizen move in with him while his family was away on vacation because that way, his cat will be in good hands.

"You know, Echizen seems to be unaware of the deep affections that I have on him." Said Atobe with that blushing look.

"You're joking right?"

"Of course I am! But still though, he cares a lot about me and I can definitely see it in his eyes, no doubt about it."

As for Oshitari, he had some disbeliefs of his own and didn't want to laugh in his captain's face or move a muscle since this was Echizen all right. As he capped his highlighter, he gave Atobe his full attention. "If my hunch is correct, his own emotions are too basic and he is not able to synthesize presence and import. The entire world sees something that he cannot see after our existences ended. Don't you find it amazing that there is a melody in here that doesn't wake him but it is calling to him to come to me?"

Oshitari could tell that he was not interested in hearing these metaphors, but asked "I see that you paid Echizen a visit and it didn't go so well?"

"Don't be absurd, Echizen was well informed of the situation at hand." Replied Atobe.

"I see, but why did that brat give you a key?" he asked.

"Don't worry about it. Also, I plan to let that kid move in with me since his parents are going somewhere for vacation." Continued Atobe.

"Are you for real? That brat gave you his key and still managed to tell you that he was not marrying you? What the hell did he do to you?" asked Oshitari.

"Like I said, I always keep the love thing as a secret for myself so don't bother."

"Fine then, but eventually, you will have to go public with this or I win the bet and you have to shave our heads."

"What bet? I already won, what are you, blind?" laughed Atobe.

"I can take it that Echizen isn't into you because some friends of mine told me this." Continued Oshitari.

"You need better friends and plus if Echizen stays with me, perhaps I can get you guys to look after him and his kitty because we need him to experience what it's like living in a lap of luxury." Said Atobe.

"Seriously? You really want to date Echizen Ryoma and invite him to your house? You are talking love over here with that cheeky brat from Seigaku, and you want us to spend time with him and you together at your house and in Hokkaido?"

"What makes you think I was not serious? Yes, and besides, I want that kid to feel what love really means to him and I am sure I would want him to get to know you guys better since he taught us what tennis meant to us and the other schools. Also I might have the other schools to keep an eye on that kid as well since we are all going to take him to places that he hasn't been to for a long time." Said Atobe.

"Wow! I guess I never thought about it. But still, are you sure this is a good idea? When did you seriously fall in love with him?" continued Oshitari

"Of course! Ever since I laid eyes on him, he has become that special someone to me and I couldn't let him go into the darkness. Do you remember that match we had with the American team? I can see in my future that the kid would be the right man for me as I saw him beat that other tennis prodigy from America. I realized now that the flower of my manhood has bloomed even greater for me."

"He was freaking eleven! And also since when did we become babysitters to that brat?" began Oshitari.

"I call them like I see them and also we all have to treat him well if we plan to make this date special. Besides, I already texted Kite and your cousin since I want him to go on a one-on-one date with each tennis club member from Tokyo all the way to Osaka because this is a good way for him to accomplish his desires for me."

"Seriously!? Are you gay or something? What is this, The Bachelor? You are not telling me that he has to let every single student go on a date with him?"

"Yup, that's the plan. Since I know the truth, we were born to love and care for each other since the day we were born. We fought as rivals and our bonds are stronger than ever. So, I want him to share those bonds with other people around us. I will have him start off with the students at Rikkaidai." Said Atobe.

"Honestly, I am not sure what goes through your head anymore, but to be honest you are confused. But I am quite impressed that you are gunning for Echizen since your delusions have gone off the wall. But technically, you are insane and no one sees what you are seeing."

"I am already here in reality, so would you please call up Sanada and let him know that we all need to be role models for that kid? Thank you so much." Continued Atobe.

"So let me get this straight, two years ago you were planning to fall in love with Echizen and at that time, he thought of you as an annoying little dickhead. Now, you see him as a lover for your heart. Are you out of your mind?" groaned Oshitari.

"Love begins with you as a lover and it wants you to realize that you are completely falling for that person. When you complete that action, your mission is accomplished. Furthermore, think of it as a light switch where you turn it on and off. Even if this is common, that kid is a like a bolt of lightning ready to strike swiftly and quickly."

Oshitari couldn't understand where his captain's brain was going with all this shit.

"A man who is alert and awake before the sun rises could see the clouds are asking him where his love was. This tells me that the man could see that the day is coming, but they are not aware of it. A majority of them would probably ignore that sign since they do not fully understand what love means to them. I won't let this moment pass because this is a sun that will shine on us forever." Continued Atobe.

"I am no romance expert, but I can tell you that this is not how love works." Said oshitari.

"Echizen and I share a strong bond together and we will not let that separate since it has been going on the courts. So we shall tie it together forever."

"Atobe, you realize this is just another one of your tennis crushes right?" said Oshitari.

"Not to me, but now that you mentioned it, that kid does remind me of my younger years since I kicked everyone's ass and made it easy as pie."

"I knew it! You know, there are other ways to stroke your ego instead of hitting on Echizen since it is very effective."

"Thanks, but I can tell the difference between love and desire."

"You're not really in love with him; you just think you are doing that to gain attention! You don't know what will happen because love isn't like sunshine to begin with. And there will not be a field of flowers or the birds singing Mozart. This is all a dream that you concocted and you're trying to make someone else's life a part of yours." Said Oshitari.

"Thank you for that input, I like it." Smiled Atobe.

"What makes you think that Echizen will fall for you when he clearly does not want you?"

"What are you talking about? He accepts my invitations to take him to play arcade games or see movies each month. So my intentions are quite clear." Continued Atobe.

"He probably wants to play tennis, have you not noticed that?"

"No, but still I need to change his daily tennis obsession into other things and check on our activities. And besides, it will be up to you to oversee those interests for him. Thank you for suggesting that."

"Let me know how it all works out." Finished Oshitari as he took out his pen and finished working on his Bach sheet music. He could hear Atobe's cell phone beeping with the push of buttons.

Now he is calling Echizen during morning hours? Echizen might not have his phone on, but decided to reply anyway.

"Ah, echizen, just to ask you if you prefer one-on-one dates with other people during the summer break? Let me know."

"Sure, I would love to, after all since my parents are out doing other things I would be happy to do one-on-one dates with everyone." Continued Echizen.

"Wonderful! I will let everyone know and also, you know Hanamura Sensei right? She is also asking for you to do a one-on-one as well."

"You mean that lady from Josei Shonan where she wants to make me her masterpiece? Okay, sure I think she might be crazy, but I will go for it."

"Great, I will see you after school!" And with that the phone disconnected. Just then, Gakuto stepped in and heard everything that was going on since he started hearing about the one-on-one date thing. He was surprised that the brat would be looked after by everyone here for the date since this was a bet that Atobe had proposed on the brat.

"You can't be serious! Now that crazy loon wants us to date that kid as well?" grumbled Gakuto.

"Yes, I am afraid so and if anything, that kid will be moving into our captain's estate soon if this is accomplished." Whispered Oshitari.

Gakuto could only groan at that remark and wanted to smack his captain in his head for that unprofessional behavior. "You are not talking about, operation: one-on-one love with the Short Pants right?"

"Yes, exactly. So what we have to do is to show that brat anything that he likes and treat him to delicate foods. In other words, we need to have a good time with him."

"Oh my god!" groaned Gakuto. This was not something that he was good at, but he decided to comply anyway and walked off to tell the silver pair the news.


	15. A Bachelor's Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyoutei's First Date
> 
> By: NarutoandBleach
> 
> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.

[Bachelor's Dream]

Once Gakuto has gotten the message from Yuushi regarding the short-pants kid starting a one-on-one date with each of the tennis club members from various schools, this could make the headlines for the front page newspapers. Furthermore, the red haired kid was starting to get a headache after hearing his captain about the plan he issued for Ryoma. Furthermore, the silver pair are in the courts practicing their serves with some freshman year students when they saw Gakuto racing towards them.

"What is it Gakuto? Is something troubling you?" asked Choutaro.

"You're not going to believe this. But Atobe has turned Echizen Ryoma into a bachelor! In other words, he is asking him to start one-on-one dates with every single member of the tennis club from various schools!" He paused to catch his breath before resuming.

Shishido was shocked after hearing this since he had never seen his own captain doing something as crazy as this. "You're lying right? Since when did our captain has asked that brat to start one-on-one dates with the club members? He could get into a lot of trouble for that!"

"Well, I guess Atobe has his reasons since he is still clinging to that bet because he likes to see Echizen fulfilling his requirements to pass this test in order to see if he is worthy to be one of us. Honestly, this madness will be our captain's downfall if he pursues it any further." Continued Hiyoshi.

"What the hell is wrong with him? If this is another one of his schemes in order to get Echizen to join our club, I will not be a part of it! Sorry, but this is just not in my interest." Groaned shishido as he resumed tennis practice. Furthermore, Ryou is the only person around here that is mature enough not to fall for Atobe's tricks since he would not be a part of Ryoma's one-on-one date. As for the others, they couldn't help but laugh since they know their captain has become even more tenacious than they first thought. Even if Ryoma was a bachelor contender, he had no idea what he is going up against this time around.

Elsewhere, students at Rikkaidai were starting their usual morning routines when they got a message on their phones from Atobe regarding Echizen as a Bachelor. This shocked many of the teammates, especially Marui and Jackal since they never have been on dates before. As for Kirihara, he couldn't help but laugh. "Ryoma Echizen, a bachelor? Don't make me laugh! This is probably another one of atobe's stupid tricks in order to try and get him to single handedly date everyone on the tennis team. This is going to be so good!"

Jackal and Marui sweat-dropped at him and said, "No wonder seaweed head doesn't have a girlfriend yet. Sometimes he can be so stupid trying to play these sort of jokes on other people."

Kirihara vein popped at that response and raised his fist. "What was that baldy? And you bubble gum boy! Don't act like you know everything about love! I can prove to you that I have a girlfriend!"

"Oh really? Who is this girlfriend that you have?" asked Yagyuu.

"Her name is Catherine. I always hold her tightly at night when I sleep and… "before he could finish his sentence, he can see the group snickering at him, including Niou and the captain.

"What's so funny?" asked an indignant Kirihara.

"Your girlfriend is a teddy bear!? Oh my god, you are such a riot, seaweed head! The rei sno way that you can be so popular at school since you are not like Echizen Ryoma. Furthermore, Atobe has bigger plans for you since he has sent that kid out on his first mission to date our tennis club. It's time we showed you what love truly means!" continued Yagyuu.

Over by the courts, Sanada wasn't even sure what to say to Ryoma since he was named as the bachelor by the captain of Hyoutei. Furthermore, he did try to kiss that kid during the Cinderella performance because he was good at acting. However, this was much more different now because he was not prepared for a one-on-one with Ryoma yet.

"Something troubling you, Genichirou?" asked Yukimura as he approached him.

"No, it's nothing. I just couldn't even understand why Atobe chose us to go on this one-on-one date with him. I'm sure he is asking that kid to play tennis with us, but on the other hand, he could be asking that kid to do daily activities at our houses. I mean look at this schedule that we got." Said Sanada as he handed the piece of paper to Yukimura.

"Let me see here. Go to Sanada's house and play shogi with his grandfather, visit yukimura's place and water his plants and flowers while in the process of attending ikebana sessions, visit Akaya and go shopping with him, hanging out with Marui at the arcades, buy some ingredients for Renji's special juice, watch comedy movies with Niou and Yagyuu, and tutoring Jackal with his homework since he slacks off too much. Wow, and here I thought you were scary, but this is just too much for all of us to handle. But, I will be more than happy to accompany Echizen Ryoma to the Ikebana convention. Have him meet us outside of the Rikkaidai gates." And with that he dropped the paper on the ground and prepared for his one-on-one date.

"Yukimura-buchou, I've never seen you so happy before. But I just don't know how good that brat is with Shogi, so I will need to consult with my grandfather first." Thought Sanada to himself. However, he was more concerned with Atobe and his ambitions since he never realized how that lunatic came up with a devious plan such as this in order to put him at Hyoutei. Furthermore, he had no choice and decided to comply with that man's wishes.

Somewhere in the city, a foreigner stopped by and eyed the city of Tokyo and thought o himself, "This is such a magnificent place to visit, and the miso soup tasted so good. Speaking of food, I wonder where my rival Echizen Ryoma is since I have not heard from him in such a long time." He then looked around and saw the fudomine tennis club walking by and decided to follow them into the restaurant. Once inside, he sat down next to a young red short haired kid named Kamio and said,, "Excuse me, do you know where Echizen Ryoma is?"

Kamio looked at him for a second and started to remember him from the national tournament. "Wait a minute, you must be that guy named Krauser right? It's so good to see you, what are you doing here?" he then shook the blonde's hand and smiled at him.

"I was looking for Echizen Ryoma, do you know where he is?" asked the foreigner with his thick American accent.

"I'm sorry, but I don't speak English. But I can have my captain help you." Said Kamio as he headed over to where Kippei was sitting.

"Tachibana buchou, there is someone named Krauser that is looking for a brat named Echizen ryoma." Said Kamio.

"really?, where is he?" asked Kippei.

"He is sitting about a few rows down sipping on tea. I do believe he is an American since he needs help in finding where Ryoma is." Continued Kamio. And with that, Kippei immediately grabbed a pen and paper and sat down next to the foreigner.

"So I see you are looking for Echizen right? Well, it seems that he is been called the bachelor. In other words, he is dating Keigo Atobe and now, that lunatic is sending that kid out to date every single tennis club member from every single school and now he is going after us as well." Said Kippei.

"A date? You mean like two people a boy and a girl going out with each other to movies, dancing or a drink at clubs and that good stuff? I see, so who is this Atobe guy?" asked Krauser

"He is a strong narcissistic captain from hyoutei with a hair that looks like a monkey, though Ryoma does nickname him the Monkey king which annoys him to no end. He is the captain that does almost anything he chooses to do since he spends too much time hanging out with that brat. Sometimes I couldn't understand why that lunatic has started seeing Echizen, I mean really, what is so special about him anyway that causes such attraction?"

"Well, it seems that when I met Echizen for the first time, he told me that he hasn't seen anyone attracted towards him and none of the girls in New York would want to date him because he was being called a weirdo and a pervert. And surprisingly, he actually taught me on how to get a girl to get attracted to me. And when I asked for directions to Hyoutei, they simply pointed me into the direction of Tokyo and so, here I am." Continued Krauser.

Everyone was shocked. "Seriously!? When the hell did Atobe and Ryoma teach you about dating?" asked Kamio in a casual tone.

"Like I said, I wanted to know more about love thanks to the romance novels that I borrowed from Yuushi earlier since these books have taught me the meaning of love and romance." Continued Krauser.

"That guy is seriously weirder than Shinji since both of them are too quiet and serious about tennis play. Now, this guy just comes over here and asks us for knowledge on how to date people? Sometimes, I can't even understand what goes through the minds of Atobe and his lover." Thought Kamio to himself. However, he could notice that Shinji was giving him a death glare after hearing those words.

"Shinji, when did you get over here? I thought you were over at the doubles partner table." Said Kamio nervously.

"Kamio-kun, don't get me involved in that brat's love life because whether or not I am interested in him isn't your business." Said Shinji in his monotone voice, causing his teammate to shudder in fear.

The others looked at him with sweat-drops and decided not to interfere since they know that Atobe was up to something big here.

After school was over, Ryoma had a couple of things to drop off at his house before leaving for his one-on-one date. Once he fed his cat and organized his tennis gear, he went out the door and could notice that his father waving a flag that had a picture of his son on it with the words 'Good luck my dear beloved bride' printed on the top. He couldn't even believe that this had to happen and vein popped. "Oya-ji! Are those words really necessary!?"

"It's perfect for you, brat! I've saved it on your phone. Have fun with your matchmaking date tonight!" grinned his father evilly.

"Sometimes, I can't even stand you, baka oya-ji!" groaned ryoma as he walked off towards the train station heading over to Sanada's house. He couldn't even believe that Atobe and Fuji had set him up for this one-on-one date with the entire school tennis club teammates and backing out now would be a terrible mistake. As Ryoma approached Sanada's residence, he could see a little kid annoying his big brother all over the yard of his residence because he took the hat away from him.

"Baka Sasuke, give me back my hat!" yelled Sanada.

"Sorry, uncle Sanada, until you give me a piggy back ride, I won't give you the hat!" she said while sticking her tongue out at his brother.

Sanada twitched in annoyance as he tried his best to take the hat away, but it was no use. Just then, he sees Ryoma in front of his lawn and said, 'Ah, Echizen Ryoma! So good of you to come by today, what brings you here?"

"Hello Sanada, I came by for our one-on-one date since Atobe has asked me to play shogi with you. Although I have no idea what evil atobe was thinking, this will be a good chance for me to boost my skills in other games while playing tennis.

"So, looks like Atobe has set you up for a little chess session with me eh? Follow me!" said Sanada as he leads Ryoma inside his house. Once they entered, Ryoma could see how clean the entire place was and was amazed by the amount of photos on the wall. He feels that this house looks exactly like Atobe's place and much bigger. Once he arrived at the dojo, Ryoma could see Genichirou's great grandfather waiting for him.

"Ah, so this must be the famous tennis prodigy that you met at the courts today, eh my grandson?" said Gen'emon

"Yes, grandfather. Allow me to introduce you to Ryoma Echizen. Ryoma, this is my grandfather." Said Genichiro. Ryoma quickly walked over and shook the old man's hand and bowed. "Pleasure to meet you, gramps. I assume you know why I am here today?"

"Yes, I heard from Atobe that you were dating my grandson, this is so wonderful! I think you two are going to be a cute couple!" smiled Gen'emon

Sanada quickly placed his hand over his grandfather's mouth to prevent him from speaking out about this date that they are having. "Tarundoru! Grandfather, how many times do I have to remind you that Echizen is only here to play Shogi? I am really not dating him since Atobe put that pipsqueak up to this!"

"I am sure that man had his reasons for putting that whippersnapper up with you! Give him some pointers for Shogi. Anyway, are you ready, Ryoma?" asked Gen'emon.

"Yup, definitely ready!" he said, As the match went on, Ryoma seems to be using his tennis moves to go on the offensive and captured almost 10 of his opponent's men using drive B and the samurai drive shots. Furthemore Gen'emon was pretty impressed at how well the youngster played and turned to his grandson, "Look at that, I am amazed at how well-taught he was in this game. Do you think his father took it upon himself to teach his son the basics of shogi?"

Sanada paused for a moment since he never had seen a tennis prodigy play shogi before and this was the first time that he used his tennis methods for this game, just like when he used it in pool and bowling. Even he was impressed at how well this kid had done in sports, but outside of tennis, he had never seen Ryoma surpass people in other games like poker or Shogi.

"Echizen! Where on earth did you learn how to play shogi?" asked Sanada begrudgingly.

"Well, if I had to take a guess, my father probably taught me the basics and even my so called boyfriend called me up on the weekends and we practice pretty much all night in order to get me better at it. So I probably inherited it from my family or so. I just never realized that this would be real." Continued Ryoma.

"Wow, for a tennis prodigy, you sure are good at this game. How many more moves do you think you need to beat my grandfather?"

"About 10 more. I think shogi is like chess almost since it does involve strategy and concentration without exposing your flanks of troops to defend your general in battle. So, since it is my first time playing shogi, I think I should probably read more about the defense part later on." Contined Ryoma as he captured two more of his opponent's pieces before focusing on his general. As Sanada watched carefully, Ryoma made a few careless moves, but decided that he will face the prodigy next round. After all the pieces have been captured, Ryoma is left with a few commanders and several in training forces to take the general out and within a few short moves, "Checkmate!" said Ryoma as he surrounded his opponent's general and defeated him.

"That was pretty good, shorty!" smiled Genichirou.

"Thank you, fuku-buchou! And also thanks for a good game tonight, gramps!" said Ryoma as he bowed gracefully at him.

"No problems, but next time, I will find a way to beat you in shogi! However, I still need to owe tezuka a game later on." Continued Gen'emon.

"Now then, Ryoma. Shall we begin our date? I think we have a little tennis match today." Said Sanada.

"Yup, let's get started." Said Ryoma as the duo grabbed their tennis racquets and headed towards the backyard. As the game began, Sasuke stared at them and smiled. "Ryoma nii-chan, you and Genichirou make a cute couple together!" he called.

Sanada vein popped at that remark and thought to himself, "Tarundoru! I need to slap my nephew for that! How dare he think that I and that shorty am a couple! I am betting that Atobe had sent her a message about this!" As the match continued, Echizen is putting everything the line to beat his opponent since he isn't holding anything back, but Sanada decided to call off the game since they are at their limit now. Once the game stops, Ryoma and his opponent lied down on the grass and said, "You know, you are not half-bad. But seriously, I will beat you in a game of shogi soon." Said Sanada.

"I look forward to that, fuku-buchou. Now then, Sasuke. Come over here." Said Ryoma.

"You're going to show me how to play tennis? That's very nice of you, Ryoma nii-sama!" said Sasuke as he glomped the tennis prodigy while Ryoma groaned. "Please don't do that me, you know I don't like being hugged as much."

"Sasuke! Tarundoru! You know better than that! Get off of him!" shouted Genichirou.

Sasuke immediately hugged his big brother and said, "Uncle Genichirou is so mean that he cannot control his temper! He is such a bad uncle!" He then stuck his tongue out at genichirou, causing him to chase his nephew all over the yard while vein popping.

"Get back here! You will pay for insulting the emperor of Tennis! You will address me as your big brother and not by my first name!" shouted Genichirou as he chased after his nephew while Ryoma and Gen'emon sweat-dropped.

"Are those two always this dysfunctional?" asked Ryoma

"Believe me; my grandson inherited that trait from his father so he sometimes snaps for no reason. He does have a soft side for you and his nephew so I am sure he will calm himself down after running so much." Smiled Gen'emon. Anyway though, you must be exhausted. I think you should stay here for the night before you travel again for the day ahead."

"Thanks a lot, gramps." Smiled Ryoma as he entered the house for dinner. Furthermore, he knows that Genichiro's mother would always welcome guests to the house as long as they are friends. As she met ryoma for the first time, she sees that he also plays tennis as well and like Genichirou, they are both fierce competitors.

"It's so nice to meet you, Ryoma. My son told me a lot about you and how well you did in Shogi and to be honest, you are pretty good. I understand that you have beaten my son at tennis a while ago right?" she asked him.

"Well, it was actually a friendly competition since he doesn't feel bitter about losing. However, Sanada will always ask me for a rematch and I will give it to him because I feel that the emperor still has a long way to go." Said Ryoma as he looked at Sanada who was feeling embarrassed, but didn't take much action. Even with an annoying little nephew like Sasuke pestering him, he still cares about him and wants him to focus more on his own work instead of other things. But for now, Sanada and Ryoma are going to have a little one-on-one concentration game of putting seeds in a jar after dinner since that game can help regain their confidence.

"Echizen, after dinner, I want you to play a little concentration game with me because I want to see how many seeds you can put into the vase without dropping any of them. I've done this many times before, but it's very challenging. So I urge you to try this if you want to succeed at tennis." Continued Sanada.

"Of course Fuku-buchou, but this is actually my first time doing this so I will give it my best shot." Said Ryoma.

"Look at how well those two are getting along, right honey?" smiled the mother.

"No doubt that they will make a great loving couple together." Grinned the father.

"Tou-san! Me and ryoma's relationship are not as couples, but as friends! Atobe is the one that set him up on the one-on-one date with me. But again, thank you for the dinner, we enjoyed it." Saod Sanada as he and ryoma took the dishes to the kitchen before heading off towards the family room, leaving the parents laughing.

"Whew! That was too close. You didn't tell my parents about the whole date thing, did you?" asked Sanada in his serious tone

"No, I didn't say a thing! I heard your nephew mention it many times before, so I think that exposed our secret." Whispered Ryoma.

"I see, so I will need to teach my nephew a lesson about humility later on for interfering. Anyway, are you ready to begin?"

"Yep."

Once the game began, both competitors grabbed the chopsticks and slowly picked up the seeds one by one and placed them in the vases in front of them. They placed over 90 seeds in the jars but they still have 25 left to go and it won't be easy since their hands are getting numb. Overall, this is a game to test their speed and limits to their bodies in order to see who will remain standing once the last seed is in the vase. At this point, Ryoma and Sanada are both sweating like crazy and can't go on for much longer since they placed 105 seeds in the jar and stopped.

"Well, we didn't hit the world record, but at least this will be our best effort for tonight." Said Ryoma.

"You're right, looks like we are both tied here and it seems we cannot determine who will win. Let's call it a night and do something else shall we?" continued Sanada.

Just then, Sasuke entered the room and said, "Uncle Genichirou, its time for me to do a piggyback ride with you!"

"my body is too tired from playing this concentration game earlier. Let ryoma be your horse for tonight." Said Sanada.

Ryoma was shocked, but decided to comply as Sasuke climbed onto the shorty's back and they rode around the room like crazy, leaving the kid no chance to rest at all. He feels that this game is putting too much pressure on him and he barely had time to rest. After a while, Ryoma collapsed to the ground once sanada took his nephew off the kid and sent her to bed. Afterwards, he scooped up Ryoma and took him to the guest room for the night.

The next day, breakfast was waiting for Ryoma as he prepared for his next one-on-one date with Akaya since he knows that seaweed head was probably not ready for this. But Ryoma feels that it was time for him to gather a shopping list that akaya needs and decided to ask Sanada for advice.

"Well, my subordinate needs some new tapes for his tennis racquet since his old one is falling apart. Second, he needs water bottles, ankle weights, ponta, and pencils and pens because he always loses those writing implements even before school starts." Said Sanada.

"I see, looks like I might have some fun with Akaya for a little while since everyone else seems to be getting him a lot of things." Said Ryoma.

"Yup, that's why Akaya seems to be smart enough to save his own money while spending ours like water. I just don't get him sometimes, you know? Why doesn't his own parents buy him anything?" wondered Sanada.

"His parents are probably going through financial trouble and they just don't have the money for it." Continued Ryoma as he finished his milk and breakfast before heading out the door.

"Good luck with your one-on-one date with seaweed head, I will see you after you accomplish the tasks for my teammates." Said Sanada as he headed to the backyard for his meditation session. Once Ryoma entered into the city, he meets up with Akaya at the store and waved at him. "Yo, Akaya-chan! So good to see you here at the store. I had a feeling I would find you here."

Akaya was surprised to see Ryoma here as well. "hello there brat! I don't suppose Sanada sent you here to do some shopping with me right?"

"Well, yes actually. But it was Atobe who told me to go shopping with you since you're the next one on my list. So what do you need from the store?" asked Ryoma.

Akaya took out his backpack and opened it to show him the paper containing the items that they need. "Let's see, pencils, pens, water bottle, ankle weights, tapes for the tennis racquet. This is a pretty decent list! Let's go!"

As they went inside, they managed to get the items that they need, but they noticed that the ankle weights were all sold out and thus, they had to try a different store two doors down. "This is weird, isn't it? How can ankle weights sell out that quickly?" said Akaya.

"Well, we cannot give up now; I think the sports store should have some." Said Ryoma as they headed inside and to their surprise, they found some on the shelf and made their purchases before leaving since Ryoma made the save for his date.

"you caught a lucky break there, kid. If it wasn't for you, I would not be able to practice tennis without the ankle weights and I would end up running laps." Said Akaya.

"Hey! mada mada dane. Besides, as your date, I had to save your ass back there or else we would never have completed our shopping spree. Furthermore, Atobe sent me here to do our one-on-one date and so my mission was to go shopping with you." Said Ryoma.

"You are never going to give up on Atobe, are you? I guess not. But seriously, are you the bachelor here? Why are you dating me instead of that narcissist?"

"Well, Atobe told me to date you guys one by one before I move on to other people in order to see if I am worthy enough to be a part of Hyoutei and thus, I must keep on hanging out with people for my one-on-one date. Anyway, now that we are done shopping, shall we check on Jackal? I see he is struggling with homework since he cannot find his math book." Said Ryoma.

Akaya paused for a moment and decided to take the brat to meet with the bald member of Rikkaidai since he knows that jackal will fall behind in class on Monday if his assignment is not completed. As they arrived at his house, Jackal was surprised to see Ryoma and Akaya and decided to lead them inside. Once there, Ryoma rummaged around the house and sees a book hidden underneath the coffee table and surprisingly, it was the math book.

"Jackal, I found your book under the coffee table! I think we have saved your skin. Now then, shall I help you with your assignment?" said Ryoma as he took jackal's paper and pencil and thoroughly looked over the math problems and managed to solve them all without any problems and then handed it back to Jackal.

Jackal was surprised that Ryoma had this amazing ability to do school work without cramming anything the night before. "Seriously? If you know all the answers to the math problems, why do you sleep in class?"

"Well, the teachers always give me a good passing grade since I am just good at what I do. I could be a tutor or so if you like that." Smiled Ryoma.

Jackal looked at Akaya for a moment and said, "Akaya-sempai, have you seen this kid? He is really a whiz at school subjects I mean, how does he do it?"

"I think it's probably his brain and how it is actually functioning. Furthermore, I've heard from his teachers that he is able to solve difficult problems without any issues and even they are in shock as well. Honestly, I think you might be right about ryoma being a coach in math." Said Akaya.

"I see, well then, I would need help with my English essay, can you fix up my writing because I am just not too happy with the draft. Let me know what exactly is going on with my paper." Said Jackal.

"Let me see, you've got a lot of grammar errors and a lot of sentences with dangling modifiers. Allow me to fix them." Said Ryoma as he grabbed a pen and wrote down the corrections above where the sentences had errors in them. Soon enough, all the corrections were shown above and it was given back to Jackal. "I think you should have no problems in turning in your assignments now." Said Ryoma with a smile.

"Damn you! I guess I am going to have to count on you to help with school related issues. Thanks again, Ryoma! I owe you big time!"

"Anytime jackal! I will be more than happy to help you with anything you need." Said Ryoma. Just then the phone chimed and a message was sent to the Seigaku kid telling him that the ikebana festival was set for today and that he has to meet Yukimura at the bus stop. Once Ryoma left Jackal's place, he crossed out the completed tasks and went to the bus stop where Yukimura was waiting for him.

"You've just made it! So good to see you here, little brother." Smiled Yukimura in a soft tone.

"Good to see you too, Yukimura-buchou. So I guess you are my next one-on-date right?" said Ryoma.

"Yup, so are you ready for some flower arrangements?"

"I've never done it before, but I am more than happy to do it since Shiraishi and Fuji needs some for their homes and classrooms later on. Let's get started!" continued Ryoma as he and Yukimura headed off to the convention for what seems to be a fun-filled day of activities and competition since Yukimura was a huge fan of flowers and plants. Although he had a few plants at home that died out during a hot summer day, he needed replacements for them and so this next date would ensure that the captain of Rikkaidai gets his wish.


	16. Ikebana and Dating Hyoutei

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyoutei's First Date
> 
> By: NarutoandBleach
> 
> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.

[Flower Festival and Dating Hyoutei]

As the bus arrived at the convention center, Ryoma and yukimura got off and prepared for the flower arrangements since this is the first time that the kid ever did something like this since his parents bought flowers for their house many years ago. However, many of their plants are dying out and his father couldn't afford plants or flowers. Furthermore, this was a good chance for Echizen to learn more about flowers and how they are arranged since he could bring back a couple of souvenirs for his family and for Fuji and shiraishi.

"Oi, Echizen! You've never been to this place before, haven't you?' asked Yukimura.

"It's my first time here and I've never seen this many people before. I wonder what's going on today?" said Ryoma.

"Everyone here is preparing for the flower arrangement festival, also known as Ikebana. My friends Fuji and Shiraishi recommended this festival for me since they needed some new plants for their greenhouses. Now, I am sure that Fuji wanted you to get some new cactuses for him since his old ones are dying out right?" continued Yukimura as he and Ryoma entered the center.

"Yes, I noticed, but which one is he looking for?" asked Ryoma.

"you will see soon enough." Contined Yukimura as he took his date's hand and into the flower shop. Once there, the announcer said, "welcome to this year's flower arrangement where we pit the best of the best out there to see who can arrange the best flowers for this competition. The winner will take home these plants as souvenirs. Now then let the match begin!"

"Good luck out there, Yukimura-buchou!" said Ryoma as he shook his cousin's hand.

"You too, little bro." continued Yukimura.

Elsewhere, Sanada and Akaya were watching the competition from the control room with Atobe and the Hyoutei club members since this could mean that Ryoma has something big planned for his friends.

"Looks like the brat seriously started dating the buchou from your school, ahn, Sanada?" said Atobe.

"It seems that way, but did Fuji arrange this somehow?" asked a flustered Sanada.

"That sadist Fuji is planning his every move and will do whatever it takes to make Ryoma suffer. Furthermore, I think the flower arrangements could be good for that brat since he is planning to win plants for Fuji and Shiraishi since they asked him to get them for the greenhouses." Continued Inui. "If I had to guess, Ryoma has an 80 percent chance of winning this competition while the final 20 percent shows that our baby will be on good terms with the plant enthusiasts."

"How can you be so sure?" asked Gakuto.

"Believe me, that kid has helped Jackal with his assignments and he eventually passed his classes thanks to Echizen's work. Furthermore, I think he could tutor Momo since he doesn't do well on most of his tests."

"Shut it, Sadaharu! No one asked for your opinon!" snorted Momo. Everyone else knows how bad Momo sucked on school tests and laughed at him. But before Momo could say anything, the announcer on the screen said, "Oh my goodness! Echizen Ryoma has created a perfect Ikebana of wildflowers and daisies. This is a perfect example of a flower arrangement! And what do we have here folks? Yukimura has made a flower bed of Ikebanas filled with poisonous plants and zinnias. Ladies and gentlemen, this did not happen on our show, looks like we got some fierce competitors out for the grand prize!"

"You got to be kidding me! Since when did that brat learn how to arrange flowers?" asked Akaya.

"I actually taught him that during one of the health sessions at Shitenhouji and surprisingly, he managed to make some pretty decent ones during class. Even the teacher accepted one of them as a present for his wife."

"Wow, I never knew that you were so into Echizen! Furthermore, Sanada-sempai, why is that brat dating your sadistic captain?" continued Shishido.

"I am sure that he has a crush on that guy." Said Senogku.

"So, let me get this straight: That brat likes any tall, dark and creepy middle school sadists that he beats at tennis? I never thought him to be that type of person." Added Kamio.

"Japanese people are so barbaric." Said a voice.

Everyone turned and saw a mysterious blonde figure entering the room and sat down in a chair while Kikumaru walked over and said, "Who are you?"

"Me? I am a foreigner who is also interested in tennis. My name is Liliadent Krauser, and like Echizen, I am an American as well. So, what's going on here?"

"Nice to meet you again, if you are looking for Echizen, he is entangled in a date right now with Rikkaidai's sadist captain at the ikebana convention. Furthermore, he just presented that completed flower for the sadist captain. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think Echizen is so popular with the big boys now because he seems to be so into dating people that he cares so much about." Continued Choutaro.

"Well, looks like Yuushi-sempai's novels really helped him there and I guess Japanese culture is a little more complicated than I first thought. But no matter, I am going to enjoy this!" continued Krauser.

Soon, an utter silence filled the room since they have never seen Krauser act like this before. Even Kirihara feels that this guy has other secrets that no one else knows about. "Yuushi can be such a sadist at times. So what brings you here to Tokyo?" he asked stoically.

"I heard that, Akaya!" boomed Yuushi.

Akaya immediately ran behind Shiraishi without uttering another word.

"Well, Echizen has introduced me to this cute little girl at Seigaku called Sakuno and boy, her foods were so good, I could practically be a celebrity chef one day!"

"Seriously? I thought Kevin had fallen for her and now you are trying to take her away from the American kid? You are both rivals I tell you!" continued Gakuto.

"That's because Kevin was willing to share Sakuno with me since we are both interested in her. And besides, Echizen said it was okay since he is more interested in dating other people and decided not to interfere." Finished Krauser.

"Ah, I see. So that brat has completely forgotten about Sakuno and decides to shift his focus on the men in his life, eh? If he is thinking about dating men, then by all means let him. I am not sure why Atobe even hooked that brat up with him, let alone with other tennis club members." Said Minami.

"Minami, you do realize that Echizen was Atobe's first date?" asked a confused Jackal.

Minami jaw-dropped at that response and grimaced, "really? I didn't realize that Atobe had feelings for that kid. I am quite surprised that the kid knows how to hook up with all the students from other schools since he is pretty good at it. Do you remember on valentine's day, he sent Lucky Sengoku a text message asking him out on a date? It was so hilarious!"

Everyone in the room fell on the ground laughing after hearing what Echizen had done. "Sengoku must have had a field day with that kid right? I wonder if that brat had introduced girls to him at the beach, nya!" grinned Kikumaru.

"He sure did, and in fact, he even asked the girls to kiss Sengoku on the head and face, leaving him no chance to flirt with the ladies afterwards." Continued Minami.

"WHAT? How dare those women not fall for a cute guy like our Ochibi!" shouted Momo.

"Ore-sama will ensure those women pay for the suffering that they endured on Ryoma!" shouted Atobe.

Meanwhile, back at the convention center, Yukimura and Ryoma advanced all the way to the finals where they will be facing off against each other for the grand prize, but no matter how good their flowers were, they ended up in a tie and both were named co-champions. Furthermore, the boys were told to take their prizes and free spa passes to an onsen in Hokkaido.

"Well, it seems that this contest had both of us winning, right Yukimura-buchou?" said Ryoma.

"It sure did, and I am quite glad that you spent the time doing this with me." Smiled Yukimura.

"Next time, I should stop by at your classroom since I am sure you need my help watering your garden and I am glad that I went out on this one-on-one date with you. Now then, it seems that Renji is expecting me to deliver some ingredients to his lab at his house. So what do you say, can you escort me to renji's place after I water your plants and flowers?" asked Ryoma.

"Thanks, but I got it, and Sure I can guide you to Renji's house." Smiled Yukimura as they carried their prizes onto the bus and straight into Rikkaidai. Once there, they entered the greenhouse and placed the plants down on the table for the caretaker to look after before leaving. As the duo entered the streets, they spotted two students from Higa chuu inside a glasses store trying out some new styles and the captain decided to investigate.

"You go straight to renji's house while I check out the glasses store. See you soon, okay?" said Yukimura as he headed straight inside.

Ryoma waved back as he entered Renji's lair and called out, "Yanagi-sempai! Yanagi-Sempai where are you?"

"I am in the lab right now. Just show yourself in." said yanagi on the screen. Once the door was unlocked, Ryoma entered the door and kicked off his shoes before proceeding to the lab since he had the necessary ingredients for Renji's special juice.

"So what brings you here to my lab?" asked Renji.

"For a little one-on-one date with you." Replied Ryoma.

"I see, so Yukimura-buchou sent you here to be my test subject right?" smiled renji as he lifted one of his eyes open.

"No, that's not it at all! I am here to hand you some ingredients for your drink and then I will be on my way to meet Marui at the arcades. I don't have time to sample your drinks because it is not good for me. Thank you so much!" called Ryoma as he immediately dashed out of the house and straight into the arcade hall while avoiding any embarrassment out on the streets.

"That brat didn't even taste a drop of Renji's special juice? What a coward!" hissed Kaidou.

"Looks like he had no interest in the juices because of his digestive issues, no wonder Echizen has a 66 percent chance of tasting the juice." Continued Inui.

As Ryoma entered the arcade, he could see Marui already beating two other people in the transformers game and the mortal kombat game. He then walked over and leaned on one of the machines and said. "Is this game occupied?"

"Nah, take a seat, my friend. How are you?" asked Marui

"I am doing well, but I just escaped a madman named renji who almost made me sample one of his diabolical juices yet again. Anyway, I want to have a friendly competition with you at a game. Are you up for it?" asked Ryoma.

"Bring it on! I have been beating my stalker at this game all morning and he continued to follow me and want a rematch. I told him that he had to face someone else since battling him won't help me improve my score. Now that you are here, let's begin shall we?" smiled marui as he placed his hand on the boy's head.

As the game began, Marui was already gaining the lead against Ryoma, but the kid managed to make some comeback moves and defeated the opponent twice, winning the first two rounds. But in the next one, Marui managed to make a finishing move on Ryoma's Sheeva with his Liu Kang character, thereby taking the lead away.

"You are good at this game, marui-sempai. But you won't beat me in the next round." Smiled Ryoma.

"Show me what you got then." Added Marui. As the game continued, both students are not giving in since they are not backing down at all from the game until a winner has been declared. However, Liu kang was simply too powerful for Ryoma to handle and decided to concede this match.

"That wasn't much of a challenge at all, brat. How about a game of pinball?" asked Marui.

"Sure, I got plenty of time to take you down in that game." Glared Ryoma.

Once the two started the pinball game, it seems that both of them have boosted their scores tremendously without losing the ball so many times. But all they were doing was hitting the same targets over and over without getting any awards. Furthermore, as the scores soared to the billions, it seems both were tied again.

"What the hell is wrong with this game? Is the pinball machine rigged?" groaned a disgruntled Marui.

"It seems that the tables have more advantages over us." Replied Ryoma.

As the two friends continued dueling, it seems that they are out of chances of winning any game and decided to call it a day and both of them ordered a few drinks to cool their heads off while watching some television.

"Looks like those two had some stiff competition in the arcade games today, right Sanada?" asked Akaya.

"tarundoru! I can easily beat Ryoma in the pinball game! But since when did that kid become such a pinball wizard?"

"Maternal Instincts, perhaps?" shrugged Shiraishi.

"In my home country, pinball games are so old nowadays. I mostly play super Mario bros on my Nintendo 3ds system in order to keep myself entertained." Continued Krauser.

"In case you haven't noticed. Nanjiro gave his son a Nintendo system as a graduation present since he always wanted competition with you, Krauser. I think you both are good gamers, but Marui has become a gaming geek now since he talks about it non-stop during school hours and it is driving our fuku-buchou insane." Said Akaya.

"Seaweed head, you are already annoying me to no end, just like my nephew. Just shut up and watch the movie!" thundered Sanada.

"Geez! No wonder you have been waking up on the wrong side of the bed. Have you been sleeping with your captain, you masochist?" said Akaya gleefully.

"I am no masochist! Do you want to run laps?" boomed Sanada.

"No fuku-buchou! Please don't make me do it!" whined Akaya.

Meanwhile back in the arcades, Marui and Ryoma were enjoying their drinks when his phone chimed. It was Jirou calling. Marui quickly picked up and said "What do you want, stalker?"

"Well, I just wanted to ask if you are free to stop by my house to help me with my science project since I really need some expert advice from you." Said Jiroh.

"I am kind of busy right now, but what advice do you want from me?" asked Marui.

"Just come by and I will give you the details." Finished Jiroh as he disconnected the call before gathering his things.

"Looks like Jiroh is calling me to complete his wild experiments again. Anyway, you should finish your final tasks with Yagyuu and Niou now. I am sure they are waiting for you at their house. Have fun!" And with that Marui left Ryoma a tab and he covered it before leaving.

"That selfless Marui thinks he can abandon me without paying? We will see about that!" though ryoma to himself as he dashed outside over to the doubles house and knocked on the door. Somehow, the door opened on its own and Yagyuu immediately invited Ryoma inside and said. "Welcome to our haunted movie mansion, do you like something to drink?"

"Water would be good, and ponta too. Besides though, why did you guys call me here?" asked Ryoma.

"Why, to get you interested in horror movies, dude! Besides, you have to stay for an entire 2 hours until the movie is over without bathroom breaks!" continued Niou.

Yagyuu cleared the brim of his glasses and stared at his teammate for a moment and said, "You don't get to control when to take bathroom breaks since Ryoma is free to use it during the movie. In other words, you cannot control our date like some conceited puppet. Besides, Atobe and Fuji have sent Ryoma here to date us, not for you to rape him!"

"NANI!? You mean sadist fuji and evil Atobe sent him here? I didn't even know that those two could plot something like this, but hey, it doesn't matter as long as Ryoma is here, he will still listen to every single command I give him like starting right now, he needs to give me a cup of tea!" continued Niou evilly.

"Niou can be such a slave driver sometimes and now I have to bring him tea?" No wonder Monkey king told me this guy was getting on his nerves so much. Now I know why Niou is feared by everyone. However, I am not scared, I can handle the double date." Thought ryoma to himself as he handed Niou the tea.

As Atobe watched carefully, an evil smirk ran across his face, "Looks like that kid seems to be able to follow orders thoroughly, ahn?"

"Keigo, are you seriously going to let that creepy freakshow take full control of your date? Remember, you did send him out on these one-on-one dates, but I never imagine you would give him to Masaharu Niou." Continued Yuushi.

"Ore-sama and Niou goes way back to the days when we doubled up in tennis, so it shouldn't be a problem. After all, he did exactly everything I told him to do at my place so I want to see how well he can apply these instructions when he is at Niou's house." Smiled Atobe.

"Keigo…" began Gakuto. "you do realize that you sent that brat into the lion's den, right? How the hell is he going to get out of there after the movies are over?"

"He has some plans of his own, and I packed a few drinks into his tennis bag for the calm one and the trickster." Continued Atobe.

As Ryoma reached into his bag, he grabbed his ponta and showed it to his dates before saying, "Oi, masaharu and Yagyuu-sempai, if you want ponta, I will be more than happy to give it you. Shall we begin the movie?"

"Are you sure you are not scared?" asked Yagyuu. "Because I can sit next to you just in case."

"Don't worry about me, I never get scared of horror movies." Smiled Ryoma evilly. "Besides, I've done a lot of evil things in the past like throwing scooters at bank robbers and shaved their heads bald, so this shouldn't be a problem for me."

Everyone in the control room jaw dropped while the golden pair laughed like crazy. "Looks like we are not the only ones that became evil and sadist at the same time, that brat must have inherited our evil deeds." Grimaced Yukimura.

"That dude is a demon I tell you!" shuddered Shishido.

Liliadent looked at the gang in confusion and shrugged it off, "Echizen really learned from the best at how to make people suffer. On second thought, maybe I did go too far on Akaya, but who are we to judge? After all, Ryoma may be cute on the outside, but he is a demon at almost everything." He said.

"No shit, American!" snorted gakuto. "I've never seen him acting like this before, but he just admitted committing an illegal act on bank robbers."

"Maybe he wanted to play the hero and assisted the police in tracking down the crooks and eventually, they were arrested, and I am 70 percent certain that he was rewarded handsomely by his father and the city" continued Inui. The others looked at him for a moment and said, "How do you know that?"

"It was in the newspaper. According to my data book, Ryoma saved the bank from losing money by flinging two scooters at the crooks during a date with Momo and Kikumaru. Those vehicles are over hundreds of pounds each and the weight of them caused serious injuries to one of the thugs, while the other one suffered a black eye, swollen cheeks, and a broken leg. Finally, he entrusted his tennis bag to his teammates while taking out a shaver from his bag and cut off the crooks' hairs while they were arrested." Continued Inui.

As the others looked at the paper, akaya would have nightmares if he was involved in this mess while the hyoutei members could only smile and commend the short-pants brat's bravery on the streets.

"Looks like we were all worried for nothing, but who taught him how to do this sort of damage?" asked Momo.

"I believe it was some sort of ferocious training that he did back in America not too long ago so I think he must have used what he learned and took on those crooks like it was nothing, right boss?" added Renji.

"Indeed, Renji. So, I think it's best if we let Ryoma watch this movie before he moves on to date the next school team." Finished Inui.

As the movie started, Ryoma grabbed a bag of popcorn and shared it with the trickster and the calm dude since this was his chance to use deadly force if necessary against any crooks that dares to steal purses. Furthermore, the trickster and Yagyuu were quite surprised that Ryoma hasn't moved from his spot and he didn't even hide under the blanket.

"Looks like this kid isn't really scared after all, we might have underestimated him, puri." Said Niou.

"I agree, no wonder his master had made the right choice in setting that brat up for a double one-on-one date." Said Yanagi as he took another handful of popcorn from the bag. During the intermission Ryoma went to the bathroom for a little bit before resuming since he likes to make things easy for himself. But as soon as he returned, Niou gave him the bowl and said, "Make us another batch of popcorn for us, please."

Ryoma could only give an exasperated sigh and went to the kitchen for the popcorn while pouring drinks for the duo. "Sometimes I wonder why Niou can't make some foods for himself instead of ordering other people around for it."

Elsewhere, Kikumaru nodded and said, "Ochibi, Niou is a greedy bastard and a trickster since he has trouble making himself independent. This is still a date so please keep playing along."

"Well, looks like that kid is in for a rude awakening, but me and Fuji should thank him for the ikebana arrangements that he sent to us on the way back. We are truly grateful for his services." Said Shiraishi.

"You can't seriously be praising that kid now, right? I mean look at what he did to these thugs!" protested Shishido.

"Hey, don't worry! I am sure he will be on good terms with you guys once I send him on his next assignment with the Hyoutei tennis team." Smiled Atobe.

"And just what do you mean by that?" asked Shishido nervously.

"He will be doing one-on-one dates with our school next! Hahahahaha!" smiled Atobe as he went out to write the schedules for his school while everyone else collapsed face-plant to the ground, leaving Krauser and Yuushi starring at Atobe,

"Just what do you think he is planning?" asked krauser.

"Don't ask me, Atobe is clearly not thinking right." Stated Yuushi.

After an hour and forty-five minutes later, the movie was almost over since Niou and Yagyuu were not sure where this horror film was taking them, especially Ryoma since he didn't understand what that woman's intention was for trying to kill the zombies.

"Why can't that woman just burn them all alive and be done with it? She knows the flame thrower is right there and she said to the officer that killing and torturing these zombies is what she does best." Said Ryoma.

"You want to be like her? Torturing and killing people?" asked a surprised Yagyuu.

"No, I am just saying that she should protect those that are important to her. I mean look at her with an arsenal of weapons, she has the means to defeat her enemies." Continued Ryoma.

"True, but look closer, her husband is a police officer and he has armed himself with more weapons including rocket launchers and grenades." Added Niou.

As the action scenes played out, every single zombie out there gets slaughtered and the couple hugged it out and the movie ended.

"That wasn't so bad after all, not even scary enough." Said Ryoma.

"You mean you saw this before?" asked Niou.

"Plenty of times before with friends at the movie theater, thanks to monkey king and that sadist Fuji who forced me to see it." Continued Ryoma as his vein popped and wanted to get back at his rivals for what they did. As Echizen looked at his watch, it was almost midnight since he didn't get that much sleep after running so many errands today. He decided to retire on the bed for the night while playing his game pad. Elsewhere, Niou and yagyuu entered the room and sat down next to him wondering how Echizen didn't feel anything after watching the movie so many times since they were quite surprised.

"Echizen, how come you were not scared when we showed that movie?" asked yagyuu.

"I had no reason to be scared, besides, scary stuff is for the weak and unprepared." Continued Ryoma while reading a book.

"Puri, Echizen sure is an amazing person for us to be dating right now. No wonder he is brave enough to come to us. I think Atobe made the right choice for him since he did mention that the kid will be starting a new life at Hyoutei soon, which means that he will be facing off against Seigaku soon even though he doesn't want to do that because they are his friends." Said niou.

"I am sure Atobe had a reason to get Echizen to come to his school. And besides, I know for a fact that he will be dating the Hyoutei teammates next since that kid has more errands to run." Continued yagyuu.

"Puri." Said Niou as they all fell asleep afterwards.

By the next morning, Ryoma went downstairs for breakfast as usual before leaving to meet the Hyoutei regulars for his next one-on-one date. Furthermore, he thanked the doubles partner for showing him the movie because he enjoyed every minute of it. Once breakfast was finished, Ryoma boarded a bus and headed back to hyoutei to prepare for his next assignment. Once he arrived, he could see that no one has arrived and decided to take a little nap underneath the trees with Jiroh since he didn't get much sleep either.

"I see you are here early as usual, Jirou-sempai." Said Ryoma.

"Yes, early bird gets the worm, you know that right? Well come join me, I am sure Atobe and the others will try and wake us up for our next assignments." Continued jirou as they resumed their nap.

About an hour and a half later, Atobe and the others arrived at the tennis courts and discovered that one of their teammates was missing and snapped his hand. "Kabaji, please find Jirou and Ryoma, I need them for our next assignment."

"usu" said Kabaji as he ran off to find the two brats. Once he located them under the tree, he could see that these two are holding onto each other while they are sleeping and decided to carry them both towards the tennis courts. As they arrived, Ryoma and Jirou opened their eyes and could see the hyoutei regulars standing in front of them.

"Good morning guys, so I guess I overslept, didn't I?" groaned ryoma.

"Nope, you are here bright and early as always. And congrats on successfully dating the Rikkaidai team. Now, your next assignment will be to date all the regulars on my team. Before you start though, Gakuto, can you please wake Jirou up so that he can pay attention to this?"

"Of course." Said Gakuto as he walked over and tapped Jirou on the back. "Yo, Jirou, wake up!"

Jirou immediately rushed to his feet and groaned for a bit before talking. "Hey gakuto, what's going on?"

"Atobe needs your undivided attention because this time we are all going to be dating that brat in front of us." Continued Gakuto.

"Okay gang, Now that Ryoma has successfully taken care of the Rikkaidai teammates, I think its time I put him up with you guys for the next one-on-one date. Furthermore, I've texted you all the schedules of the things you need to do with Ryoma. Please take a careful look at it because I know you will all be happy with what I have in store for that brat."

As the gang looked at their phones with the message of "Hang out with Hiyoshi and Gakuto in the amusement park, buy some new violin strings and complete homework for Yuushi, walk Atobe's dog, buying dog food for Shishido's pet, visit choutaro at the church, and play ping-pong with Jirou in order to keep him focused on sports." They were all shocked.

"Come on now! I mean why are you having Ryoma dating all of us? Don't you know that he could cause annoyances among us?" protested Gakuto.

"Hey don't worry, I am sure you all will have a great time with him after practice is over. Dismissed!" said Atobe as he dispersed the crowd before taking Ryoma into the clubroom.

"So what's up, monkey-king?" asked Ryoma.

"Ore-sama reminds you not to call me that in the early hours of the morning. Furthermore, you've done well with the rikkaidai regulars, but now your next task will be difficult. Can you handle it?"

"Sure, I mean after all, you guys are like brothers to me as well so dating your guys will not be a problem." Smiled Ryoma.

"Good, now get yourself ready with Yuushi because I am sure he needs you right now with his violin issues." Said Atobe.

And with that Ryoma left the clubroom and watched the teammates practice their tennis before starting their next date. Furthermore, he feels that if the Rikkaidai teams were easier to handle, he should have no problems with these guys because Ryoma has made a special bond with Hyoutei academy just like he did with Seigaku.

Once practice concluded, Ryoma waited outside of the gates for Yuushi with two bottles of ponta in his hand. "So, oshitari-sempai, I see you are having some problems with your violin lately, right? It's the B string because each time you are tuning it, it always falls apart. I think you need a new replacement string."

"How did you know that my B string is not working to its full potential?" asked Yuushi.

"I've watched you play your violin for a long time and I know the problems you've been having lately. So, allow me to help you. Let's get to the music store." Said Ryoma as he took Yuushi's hand and dashed off into the streets.

As they arrived at the music store, Ryoma and Yuushi browsed around for a bit until they found the B string. "Looks like this is our lucky day, isn't it sempai?" smiled Ryoma.

"Yes, but you know, you don't have to follow me, just wait outside and I will take care of the rest." Said yuushi.

"of course, but remember, I have to help you with your assignments at your house as well." Stated Ryoma.

"Why? Did Atobe send you to come to my place? Sometimes even I wonder why he is being such an ass sending you out doing our errands for us, but no matter, how did you know where I even lived anyway?

"I guess Renji gave your phone and address information to me and I added them to my contacts. So, I see you don't like to multitask, but allow me to help you with the English assignment because I have the dictionary right in front of me. If you want I have the completed essay in front of me and you can use it." Continued Ryoma.

"Really? You just saved me from a week's worth of insomnia! Thank you!" smiled oshitari as he and ryoma entered the house. Once Yuushi settled his stuff down, he took Echizen's hand written essay and looked it over before starting his draft while Ryoma focused on reading a tennis magazine. He also leaves the dictionary on Yuushi's desk in case he needed it.

"you know Oshitari-sempai, You and eiji are great friends. You always look out for his best interest when Oishi is busy with other things. I am happy for you both." Continued Ryoma.

"But of course! If something is bothering him, I will be more than happy to help him with anything he needs. " continued Yuushi.

"But still, Kenya would sometimes just jump in without thinking since you do let him stay here when his parents are out on vacation right?"

"yes, but where are you going with this? Let me finish my work!" protested Yuushi.

About an hour later, Yuushi returned Ryoma's original paper to him and thanked him for the assistance since this was the first time that a kid had helped a tensai with new things other than tennis because like fuji and Eiji those two make great tutors. As Ryoma thanked Yuushi for letting him stop by, he decides to call up Hiyoshi on the phone.

"Moshi Moshi!" said Hiyoshi.

"Hey, Hiyoshi-sempai, this is Ryoma. I am on my way to meet you guys at the amusement park now since ore-sama is giving me a ride there."

"really? How did you get this number anyway?" asked Hiyoshi.

"I will tell you more when I get there because we got some rides to take care of." Said Ryoma.

"Why, I thought your parents would—" but Ryoma cut him off and said, "I am here to regain my childhood memories at the park, see you there!" and with that, Ryoma hung up the phone and got into Atobe's limo.

"My first mission is accomplished, Monkey King." Said Ryoma.

"Good, now shall we head over to the amusement park? Your double dates are waiting for you." Said Atobe.

"I won't miss this for the world." Smiled Ryoma as the car drove off into the afternoon sun.

Back in the park, Hiyoshi and Gakuto waited for their bachelor at the café not too far from the roller coasters and the merry-go-round since they had no idea what was going to happen. Soon, gakuto asked, "Why are we dating that brat today when we are supposed to be playing basketball?"

"Well, Atobe ordered us to keep ryoma company and this park is a great place for us to do it. In other words, he wants us to show Ryoma around and take him on the rides." finished Hiyoshi.

"I really wish Atobe would have asked Tezuka or Fuji to take that brat's place." said Gakuto.


	17. Dinner Date with a Doubles Partner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyoutei's First Date  
> By: NarutoandBleach  
> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.

[Dinner with a Doubles Partner]

Once Atobe drops his lover off at the amusement park, Ryoma was prepared to meet his pair of double dates at the park since he was well-prepared with casual clothes in order to meet his next set of dates. Furthermore, he arrives at the café while waiting for Gakuto and Hiyoshi to come back since they were out playing some basketball at the nearby arcades in the amusement park area. Furthermore, Ryoma decided to take out his manga and read it for a little bit while he waits. Furthermore, the kid had no idea that that his date would be mushroom head and that acrobatic kid since he does not know what atobe has planned for him yet. Soon, his phone chimed and ryoma could see that a text has been sent to him.

"Dear Ryoma, you are advised to eat lunch with Hiyoshi and Gakuto and spend time competing with them in laser tag and basketball. Have fun with them and of course, ride the roller coasters with them because you are the only one that can stop them from being so nervous. Above all, have fun!" – Atobe Keigo.

"Damn that Atobe! Now I have to spend my time with mushroom head and that gifted athlete? Oh well, I will need advice from them both if I want this bachelor date to be successful." Thought ryoma to himself as he placed his phone back in the bag. About thirty minutes later, Hiyoshi and Gakuto returned and were surprised to see Ryoma waving at them. As the approached him, they settled their bags down while shaking the kid's hand.

"This is quite a surprise, brat." Said Gakuto.

"Indeed, what brings you to the amusement park today?" asked Hiyoshi.

"well, Atobe sent me here to date you guys since he turned me into the bachelor. Furthermore, he asked me to play laser tag and other arcade games with you. In other words, he wants me to be competitive. So therefore, I have to go on to the roller coasters with you guys today since that's the reason why I am here at the park." Continued Ryoma.

Gakuto looked at Hiyoshi for a moment while he was reading a book. "What? Atobe had a reason to send Ryoma here so I don't see any reason to deny him a day of fun."

"Are you sure? I am pretty certain that the brat is going to ask our advice on how to date people." Added Gakuto.

"Actually, you guessed right. That's exactly the reason why I am here. I just need some good advice from you about how to date people, you know? Me and Atobe still have this thing for each other and I can see why he wanted me to come here." Said Ryoma.

"See what I mean, Hiyoshi? I had a feeling that the captain was up to something again since he turned this kid into a bachelor. So, what advice do you want from us?" asked Gakuto.

"Well, since I was made a bachelor, I wanted to know how I can make this a successful date, you know? Furthermore, I wanted to know some important information or tips during a date. For example, what does a date want from a man or woman when they are together? Where do their dates love to go to on a good weather day? Those are just a few of the things that I need to know." Continued Ryoma.

"I see, well you came to the right place. But since you and Atobe have been together for too long, I guess he didn't bother explaining this to you and went all out on dating you. Anyway, in order to make this date successful, you need to ask them what type of flowers they like the most. Also, you got to make sure that the person you are dating is really attractive towards you. Furthermore, I taught gakuto the same thing since he was seeing a girl at school earlier this week, isn't that right?" Retorted Hiyoshi.

Gakuto was blushing and didn't know how to respond to that since no one knows who this mysterious girlfriend really is. Ryoma turned and looked at the doubles partner for a moment and said, "Really? You got a girlfriend? Wow, I didn't know that you were so interested in a girl lately."

"S-Shut up! It's not what you think okay? We just started meeting each other and she hasn't made it an official date yet!" snorted Gakuto as he continues blushing.

"You do have a soft side after all!" mused Hiyoshi.

"Seriously! What is wrong with you people? Like I said, I haven't officially started dating that girl yet! I don't know her name, okay? We are here to play some games with ryoma so let's get started." Finished Gakuto as he grabbed Ryoma's hand and raced towards the arcades with Hiyoshi following close behind.

"Damn! These guys are faster than I first thought. If I had known that Ryoma would have been here sooner, than we wouldn't be wasting our time here in the park." Though Hiyoshi to himself as he arrived at the laser tag field. Once inside, the three of them equipped themselves with the toy guns and inserted the coins into the slots and the battle was on since all three of them were running around dodging and firing like crazy to earn points while sweating like crazy. Once the game was over, Gakuto, Hiyoshi, and Ryoma paused to take a drink of water while resting.

"I never thought that this game would be so much fun. And it feels like that I am starting to have some fun myself now after such a long time." Said Ryoma.

"Yeah, well you're not the only one that has the strength to keep on battling due to your great stamina. We were going all out at that time and you just beat us to the punch." Said Gakuto,

"mada Mada Dane! Keep trying, you will keep up with me eventually." Smiled Ryoma as he headed over to the basketball area with his dates following closely behind him. They never realized that this kid had such strength to play sports. Once the team arrived, all three of them paid the necessary coins and the game was underway. Hiyoshi used his gekokujo and made several shots while Mukahi moon-saulted repeatedly to make three pointers and free throws. Both teammates from hyoutei had scored almost 18 points in total, but Ryoma managed to use Drives A and B to sink several three pointers in just 20 seconds earning 20 points.

"You have got to be kidding me! Where on earth did Ryoma learn how to play basketball?" asked Gakuto.

"I guess he must have learned this during his time at Seigaku when he challenged the upperclassmen that bullied horio and his friends. Furthermore, as punishment, those guys had to clean up the mess that they made." Added Hiyoshi.

"I see, so that brat has the power to make people clean up his messes, eh? Well, this isn't over yet! We still have a few more rounds to go. However, you are so troublesome, you know that brat?" muttered Gakuto under his breath.

"Are you scared or something?" asked Ryoma.

"Of course not, baka Ryoma!" shouted Gakuto. "But still, you could be stronger than Atobe, no, you are better than our captain."

"I like a stronger Ryoma because it could help with my gekokujou. Furthermore, I know how to defeat a pipsqueak like him. Besides, this is fun to do since Ryoma here is going to ensure that we find true love soon." Added Hiyoshi.

"Sure we will, but you are seriously pissing me off when you act like that, you know that Hiyoshi?" groaned Gakuto.

But Hiyoshi didn't respond since he was too focused on the game. Furthemore, he could see that Ryoma was making more shots which increased his score by 10, making him the leader while his opponents both have 25 points each. Furthermore, all three competitors are playing like crazy in order to reach their goal, but in the end, Gakuto won first place and took a brand new cell phone case while Ryoma and Hiyoshi each have stuffed toys and Nintendo games along with an ipod.

As the three of them returned to the café for a quick bite, Ryoma stopped by the vending machine and bought a ponta before sitting down next to his dates and said, "You were strong out there, but still a good game." Said Ryoma as he shook Gakuto's hand.

"yes, but still you are good too. I never realized that you were this strong." Smiled Gakuto.

"By the way, Ryoma. Why are you hanging out here with us at the park? Shouldn't you be playing baseball or something?" asked Hiyoshi

"Well, Atobe suggested that I should meet you guys here for a little double date and so I wanted to make sure that my date with Shishido goes well." Said Ryoma.

"That lunatic still cannot get over you and now he is asking you to date every single student from all the schools? Geez, no wonder Atobe made you his number one bachelor. I still don't get what his intentions are now. Anyway, shall we go on the roller coasters?" said Hiyoshi.

As the three of them continued their fun time at the park after finishing stuffing their faces with food, they headed over to the roller coasters with the doubles partners jaw dropping and Ryoma smiling while sleeping on the ride. They realize that the kid cannot be disturbed while the ride is in motion because the force of the roller coaster didn't make Ryoma feel anything at all. Once the ride stopped, Ryoma opened his eyes and looked at gakuto and hiyoshi who were half dazed and shocked and decided to wake them up with water.

"Are you guys all right?" asked Ryoma.

"Ryoma, that was so uncalled for! You could have stayed awake throughout the ride and we wouldn't be in this mess right now!" retorted Gakuto.

"Hey, it's not my fault that you couldn't handle a roller coaster, you chicken!" said Ryoma.

"What was that brat?" shouted Gakuto as he vein popped. But Hiyoshi managed to restrain his partner and said, "I am sure Ryoma was not to blame for this incident. Let's go on the ferris wheel, maybe that can cheer you up."

"I hope so! Hiyoshi, remind me never to ride roller coasters after this!" boomed gakuto as they boarded their next ride while staring at the night sky. Just then, Ryoma's phone rang and he could see Atobe's name there.

"Ryoma speaking. How are things over on your end, monkey king?"

"Brat, need I remind you that your chances of joining Hyoutei will be slim if you call me that?" warned Atobe.

"Whatever! But still, I had a blast today at the amusement park with your teammates. To me, I think they are tougher to beat at basketball. Therefore, I have a special surprise waiting for you later on." Continued ryoma.

"Ore-sama loves whatever surprises you can grace me with. Anyway, you will be meeting shishido next at his house for dinner since his parents are eager to meet you. Besides, I can see that gakuto and Hiyoshi have made you a fierce competitor. But I shall see how well you do on your next date." Smiled Atobe.

"Sure, I always wanted to take a crack at Shishido since he rarely invites people to his place. However, I am sure that he can make an exception this time." Added Ryoma.

"Now that's the answer that I wanted to hear all along! You really are proving useful to me than I first thought, ahn?" mused Atobe.

"We are still on a date, but we are not going to be boyfriends though. Anyway, we will meet you outside of the amusement park gates and I will have your surprise ready when I walk your dog tonight after visiting Shishido." Finished Ryoma.

"Of course, I look forward to your surprise!" smiled Atobe.

"you won't be disappointed, Atobe-sama!" said Ryoma as he hung up the phone.

The next game that the gang did was ring toss since all three of them were very familiar with the rules. However, it seems that none of them had much luck except for Ryoma using snake shots and twist spin shots to mark his target, leaving the doubles pair shocked. "Are you kidding me? How did Ryoma do that?" asked Gakuto.

"Well, I guess he must have put his tennis skills to good use here just like he did with pool table and bowling. I am actually starting to think that he is becoming quite an unpredictable opponent. But no matter, I will try and beat him in a match soon." added Hiyoshi.

"You just need more practice, guys. I am sure you will get better in the next few rounds." said Ryoma.

Both of them just shook their heads and smiled at the brat while shaking his hand.

Once the gang finished their rides at the amusement park around 8 at night, Gakuto and Hiyoshi followed behind him and wondered if they had made a mistake in dating ryoma since they will have a little talk with their captain soon. Furthermore, this is the first time that two people were dating a popular brat from Seigaku and wondered if they would be rewarded handsomely for their efforts.

"That brat really loves to make things difficult for us, he was all fired up over that basketball game." Said gakuto.

"What do you expect? That kid is good at everything! We cannot misjudge him based on his superior skills." Added Hiyoshi.

"Maybe he isn't too cool to hang around us after all. I couldn't even believe that we had to look after this perverted brat."

"Oh shut it! We cannot speak ill of Ryoma or else Fuji would never forgive us." Continued Hiyoshi.

"Geez, I am sorry, mushroom head! This is the reason why I don't like to go to amusement parks with that less sensitive geek. Thought Gakuto to himself as they waited outside of the gates for Atobe's limo. A few minutes later Atobe arrived and everyone got inside with Ryoma sitting next to his primary lover while the other two sat in the opposite direction since they were too tired after a long day and decided to sleep it off for the night.

"So, what's the surprise that you wanted to grace ore-sama with?" asked Atobe.

Ryoma handed him the hand-held listening device. "Here you are monkey-king! This is what we call an I-pod, you can download tons of music on this thing since you love any styles of music, don't you? I am sure you will love this little gadget since you always wanted one of these." Smiled Ryoma.

As Atobe looked at the I-pod for a moment while studying the instructions, a smirk ran across his face and he laughed like crazy. This was the first time that Ryoma had given something special to his boyfriend since he has never seen something this marvelous before.

"Wow! You know, I always wanted to use a device like this. How did you know that I wanted this?" asked Atobe.

"Well, you always do a lot of special things for me, so I decided to return the favor. Therefore, since you have a whole collection of classical music at home, you can easily transfer them into this device so that you won't have to worry about rummaging through every single collection manually. There is also an earphone that came with the device so I think the sound quality should be really good. I think you might enjoy it a lot." Continued Ryoma.

"Well, Ore-sama thanks you for that wonderful prize that you won for me today. Now then, Shishido is waiting for you since that other item you won at the park will be perfect for him." Said Atobe as he pointed at the game console.

"Ah yes, I was going to give this to him since he and I are gaming fans. I am sure he will appreciate this from me." Continued Ryoma as they headed over to Shishido's house in Tokyo. Furthermore, Shishido never had any sort of gaming consoles before and this will be the first time that he ever laid eyes on something like this. Once the gang arrived, Ryoma stepped out of the limo while Atobe snapped his fingers to tell the driver to wait since he had to send Ryoma inside before sending Gakuto and Hiyoshi home.

As Ryoma knocked on the door, a man came and answered it. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Echizen Ryoma. I was sent here by Atobe to date Shishido Ryou, is he home?"

"Oh, I see. Come on in, We were expecting you since Atobe told us to invite you in for tonight." continued the man. Once Ryoma entered and took his shoes off, he settled himself down on the couch and could see water bottles on the coffee table. Ryoma took one of them in order to cool himself down after spending a lot of time in the park area. A few minutes later, Shishido arrived and sees Ryoma on the couch.

"Echizen Ryoma, I didn't expect you to be here so soon. What are you doing here?" asked Shishido.

"Hello there, Ryou! Atobe has sent me here since he wanted me to have dinner with you for tonight. Also, who was that man back there?" said Ryoma.

"That would be my father. But I thought you were heading home to eat or something?"

"Ah I see, Nah, my parents told me that they decided to store my leftovers for lunch tomorrow since they are out on vacation at the moment. Furthermore, I look forward to enjoying a good meal with you tonight before we walk your dog. And besides, I also look forward to meeting your family in a bit as well." Continued Ryoma.

"I see, so it seems that Atobe sent you here for a one-on-one date with me, right? Also what's that in your hand?"

"What, this, it's a prize that I won at the amusement park. I am giving it to you because I have that hand held device as a graduation present. I was going to wait until tomorrow to give it to you before meeting up with Jirou to play a tennis match. But since you are here, take it, it's yours." Smiled Ryoma as he handed Shishido the prize.

"Gee, that's very thoughtful of you! Thanks Ryoma. Anyway, dinner is ready, shall we begin?" said Shishido as he leads Ryoma to the dining table. My house isn't that big as our captain's, but it still is good. Furthermore, Ryoma, these are my parents."

"Pleasure meeting you guys." Said Ryoma as he shook their hands.

"Nice to meet you as well, Shishido told us a lot about you and we heard that you are seeing someone, is that right?" said the mother.

"Yup, Atobe has made this kid into his lover and they have been seeing each other since then." Added Shishido.

"Really? That's wonderful Ryoma! I never knew you were that popular with the guys and girls at school. How long have you been seeing him?" asked the father.

"For a while now, I think. Monkey King can't seem to let go of me since he always feels that I am the one for him because he feels that I have this strong bond with him that cannot be broken. Furthermore, it seems that he really is falling for me and I really wanted to tell him that we are not boyfriends, but he insisted that his bet will pay off." Continued Ryoma.

"What sort of bet did he propose on you?" asked the grandfather.

"Starting next year, Atobe wants me to go to Hyoutei and that could mean I would be playing against my old teammates at Seigaku. Although I have not made a firm decision yet, I still have time to decide on that later on." Chided Ryoma.

"That is a big opportunity for you kid! I think you will fit well at my son's school. Furthermore, I think you guys will get along really well together and even double up as partners in the tennis matches later." Smiled the mother.

"But I already have a doubles partner named Choutaro Ohtori and now you want me to team up with that pipsqueak? That can't be right." Groaned Shishido.

"Well, why not? It can't hurt for you to show him the ropes. I am sure Choutaro wouldn't mind." Contined the father as he patted his son's shoulder.

"Well, I will have to talk with Choutaro first before I can make a decision on that. In the meantime, Ryoma and I will be walking the dog now. Thank you so much for the dinner." They said.

"No problems, and thank you Ryoma for the lovely prize you've given him. My son always wanted a gaming console and he has waited too long for this. Much appreciated from you." Smiled the parents.

"Anytime, Mr. and Mrs. Shishido. We'll be back soon." Waved Ryoma as he and Shishido headed out the door with the dog.

As the two of them walked along the neighborhood streets, Shishido feels something was not right with what just happened back there and decided to take Ryoma to a nearby park for a little chat. Once there, they sat down on the bench while Ryou takes out the Frisbee for the dog to play with before talking.

"Are you sure you really want to partner up with me? I mean me and Choutarou go way back since we first started tennis together." Said Shishido.

"I don't intend to break up your partnership with him, I mean this could be temporary because if we talk with Ohtori, I am sure he will understand and he might choose Gakuto as his partner when we get to Hokkaido later on. Besides, Yuushi might also agree working with mushroom head later on if Atobe does make that decision." Added Ryoma.

"Why do you always ask our captain to make these choices for us? Seriously, can't you just stop seeing him? He is messing with your head and his mind is not in the right place!" shouted Shishido.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. You know how your captain feels when I am not with him and besides, I can understand that he can act a bit crazy at times, but he cares about you guys a lot. So I am sure you will understand once Atobe finalizes everything." Mused Ryoma as he tossed the Frisbee at the dog.

"What makes you think that he will agree with this decision? You haven't been to our school yet so how do you know this will happen? How lame!" grunted Shishido.

"Just wait and see. oh, in fact, Atobe just sent us a text message." Said Ryoma with a glee as he showed it to ryou.

"I think Ryoma will work very well with Shishido since choutaro will need time to warm up with Gakuto. I also believe that Yuushi and Hiyoshi are more reserved so they will work well together with their calm demeanor. Furthermore, Jirou will stay as a singles competitor so I am sure he won't mind, are we clear?" –Atobe.

Just then, Yuushi sent a message reply saying, "Atobe-sama, why did you want me to partner up with Hiyoshi? I don't even know what sort of abilities that guy has besides the Gekokujyou!"

Atobe's reply? "I am sure you will be fine with him. And besides, Ryoma accurately predicted the outcome and I am sure he will be more than pleased with my decision."

Elsewhere, Yuushi could only groan as he placed his violin back in the case and collapsed on the bed while wiping the sweat off his face. "Have you gone insane, Keigo? You know how I feel about working with Wakashi Hiyoshi. Furthermore, what is your damage? Are you and that brat conspiring together to make new partnerships for us in tennis? You are a pompous jerk, you know that?" he thought to himself.

Back in the park, Ryou was pretty shocked after reading the messages and paused to regain his composure. Once he finally calmed himself down after shaking the lamppost, he turned to ryoma and said, "You little brat! How on earth did you accurately predict the partnerships with us? Are you a stalker or something?" he then grabbed Ryoma by the neck and gave him a wedgie on the head.

"That hurts shishido-sempai! Please let go of me!" groaned Ryoma. Once Shishido released the kid from his grasp, Ryoma paused for a moment and said, "Well, since me and Atobe are still dating each other, I think he probably just wants me to get to know the teammates a little better, remember that? So I think I can get used to hanging around with people from other schools besides Seigaku."

Shishido looked at him for a moment and replied, "Honestly, I don't know what is going on with you today since you stole the limelight from our captain. Still, you do see me at Seigaku sometimes having a match with you, but you're lucky to have Atobe send you to my place at a time like this. Imagine what Jirou's parents would say if they saw you there."

"Nah, I am sure they wouldn't mind me being there. Besides, they already know that their son is a sleepyhead and will constantly skip practice. Furthermore, since Jirou-sempai always gets chased out of the house like my father would do to me, I would think his family wants him to focus more on sports instead of other things, which is probably the reason why I have to meet with Jirou next since I need him to concentrate on tennis more so that he doesn't sleep in the middle of a match." Finished Ryoma.

"Believe me, when I am playing tennis with him, that kid always falls asleep and the match ended in a no contest. I really don't get that guy, and I am not sure how you are planning to keep him awake without letting him doze off so much. A little word of advice: Jirou is not always focused in school so I had to keep reminding him to stay awake when a class is in session so water will definitely help." Said Shishido.

"I can try that, thanks very much Shishido-sempai." Smiled Ryoma as he shook his friend's hand before returning home. As ryoma arrived, he could see Atobe's car parked outside. "Well, thank you for for your company, sempai, I enjoyed it a lot."

"Sure, anytime. But be cautions of Atobe, who knows what he is planning next. Anyway, see you tomorrow!" called Ryou.

"Of course, see you tomorrow! Oh before I forget, I left some dog food for your pet in your room." waved Ryoma as the car sped off into the distance.

"Ah yes, thank you for that!" said Shishido as he smiled at them.

The next morning, Ryoma got up early as usual with breakfast and milk before heading out towards the sports complex to meet up with Jirou thanks to help from Atobe. Once he arrived, he could see Jirou sleeping on the benches at the waiting area and decided to wake him up with some water from the bottle that he brought from home. Soon, Jirou immediately stood up and sees Ryoma in front of him and said, "Oh, hey Ryoma. What brings you here?"

"I am supposed to be meeting you for a one-on-one date today, have you forgotten?" said Ryoma.

"Oh yes, yes! I guess Atobe must have sent you here. Is he your chauffeur now?" smiled Jirou as they headed over to the ping-pong area to gather their equipment.

"You could say that. But anyway, let's get started, shall we?" As the two of them began the ping pong game, both are heated up and are eager to win points, but it seems that Ryoma was taking it easy on his opponent allowing him to take the first few points. "Looks like you are getting stronger out there, Jirou-sempai."

"I am? Hehehehe! You are just letting me win this round because you are not playing at your full potential. But in the next round, you better show me what you got before I get bored of this game." Continued Jirou.

As the game of ping-pong contined, Ryoma and Jirou are both tied at 3 points apiece since one of them could win the next round, but it all depends on where the ball could go next. Once Ryoma hit a twist serve, Jirou returned it and it went back and forth between the two until the ball flew past his opponent and hit the wall behind him.

"Game and match! Ryoma wins by 4 points to Jirou's 3!" said the referee.

"Well, you've beaten me, but thank you again for helping me stay focused on sports now since I do need to sleep after dinner is over. I should also take this time to focus more on classes so that I don't fall behind." Smiled Jirou.

"Good, I hope you will follow through on Shishido's advice. Furthermore, your teammates are worried about you sleeping in class so please try to stay awake during tennis practice okay? Furthermore, Atobe needs you to win a lot of the matches in the upcoming tournaments so prepare yourself. And besides, this match has taught us both to stay focused since I have been sleeping through most of my classes even though I passed them and earned high grades." Said Ryoma.

"Looks like we both need to stay awake for the trip to Hokkaido soon. Anyway, Atobe is calling for me to visit Choutaro at the church since I am guessing that he is asking why he was partnered up with someone else on his tennis team. I will see you later on at the school grounds." Said Ryoma.

"Wait, I am coming with you to the church, I am sure that choutarou needs me there with him." Said Jirou as they waited for their ride. Once it arrives, Atobe opened the door and sees Jirou, "Well, jirou, did you have fun with Ryoma today?"

"I certainly did, and that kid has taught me an important lesson about not to fall asleep during sports or in class since I always fall behind on a lot of things. That's why I need to catch up on some things at home later on tonight. Now then, shall we head to the church and check upon choutaro?" said Jirou.

"Sure, let's get going." Said Atobe as they drove off together towards the church.

Inside the church, Choutaro looked at the statue inside and said to himself, "Dear god, why was I paired up with that red-haired acrobat at hyoutei? I thought for sure that Shishido will stick with me until the end since we are the silver pair, not the red and brown pair. But I am sure Ryoma will be able to tell me the reason why this is happening."

As the car arrived at the entrance, Jirou and Ryoma stepped out and entered to find Choutarou sitting right in the front row and decided to call him. "Choutaro sempai, me and Jirou have arrived, so I believe you can tell us what is on your mind now."

"Ah, Jirou and Ryoma! So good to see you guys here, I was waiting for you to show up. Now that you guys are here, I need to talk to you about a couple of things." said Choutaro.


	18. Partner Changes, Meeting Girls and Fudomine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyoutei's First Date
> 
> By: NarutoandBleach
> 
> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.

[New Partner, Meeting Girls and Fudomine]

Ryoma's next stop on his journey to find love is visiting a church since he knows this is where Choutaro Ohtori is hiding. As he entered the door, he could see his friend watching the angel and waved at him. Luckily Choutaro smiled and took Ryoma's hand and sat down on the benches.

"Ryoma, thank goodness you are here. I wanted to ask you something because it's important." Said Choutaro.

"I assume it has something to do with you partnering up with someone else on your tennis team at Hyotei right?" said Ryoma as he crossed his arms.

"Yes, you are very observant. So I guess Atobe made the decision himself thanks to the text message he sent you right? I see. So, he wants me to partner up with Gakuto because he feels that Shishido needs to work with someone else other than me right?" continued Choutaro.

"Yup, I asked Atobe to see if he can get Shishido to team up with me for doubles matches later on in Hokkaido. I am not trying to separate you from your partner since this is only temporary, don't be upset." Said Ryoma.

"I am not upset, but you could have told me this sooner. Did Atobe send me a message about this?" asked Choutaro.

"It should be on your phone, check your recent messages." Continued Ryoma while he stopped to look at the angel statue and the organ in front of them. "Are you also praying for some better results in tennis later on?"

"Yes, that's right. But I guess I can work with Gakuto for now since I think Shishido is already aware of the situation. Furthermore, I don't understand what Atobe was thinking trying to change up partners at this stage. Overall, me and Shishido go way back you know?"

"I do understand and his parents said that me and Shishido will get along really well since I won him a prize at the amusement park a few days ago. His parents were really happy that I did something nice for him and I feel that I am starting to get used to hanging around you guys now. Yes, I do feel comfortable now since I am not worried about being crazily hugged by Kikumaru-sempai so much." Smiled Ryoma

Elsewhere in the control room, Kikumaru groaned at that remark and said, "Ochibi, what's wrong with hugging so you much, nya, you cheeky brat?"

"Calm down, Eiji. I am sure he didn't mean anything by that." Said Oishi. "Besides, I am sure he wanted to spend more time with the hyotei students since he is starting to get along really well with them."

"I can see why he didn't take no for an answer when we told him to stop dating atobe. That brat is so unpredictable, you know that? I mean he won the I-pod for Atobe, a gaming console for Shishido, an ikebana for Yukimura since he also has one of those poisonous plants for Shiraishi. I mean look at him, he is giving back to the community and being so nice." Said Kirihara.

"That little bro really does have a soft side for everyone; I am kind of impressed that he gave me this giant stuffed animal as a get well present. No wonder he feels so comfortable around Atobe and his teammates." Chided yukimura.

"You're quite right, Yukimura-buchou. I also made the right choice inviting that shorty over to my house to play shogi with my grandfather. Furthernore, he can easily make friends with just about anyone he meets." Added genichirou.

"In my home country, my friends and family always visit me on Christmas Eve and sends me presents that I love so much. Furthermore, I can see why Echizen-sama is doing people favors since he has become so popular among the guys." Said Krauser.

"I agree with you. Furthermore, Chibisuke has a tendency to impress the guys with just about anything that he can get his hands on. My little brother never ceases to amaze me and sometimes I feel that he is really fulfilling his goal as a bachelor now. Frankly, he is going to end up meeting more family members and get advices from them. Pretty soon, everyone will be more focused on our echizen instead of the girls. Sure Tomoka and Sakuno will still follow him around and give him assistance when needed, including those tennis reporters since they're impressed at Ryoma's determination." Said Ryoga.

"You think so? I can see why all of us have been following him around lately." Said Ibu. "maybe I should spend more time with that kid as well since he beat me at tennis before. But despite his eye injury, I think I can get to know him better as well and perhaps share the experience of a one-on-one date."

"You will meet Echizen soon enough, Shinji. Besides, I've already messaged Kippei and told him that Ryoma will be heading over to Fudomine next. However, I am not sure what Kamio would say if he saw him there.

"Hey, did I hear that correctly? Did you say Ryoma had just become a bachelor and now he is going to date my school team next? Wow, how did Echizen became the most popular bachelor here?" asked Kamio as he entered the room.

"Akira, when did you get here?" asked Momo.

"I just came back from the movies with An and I heard that Ryoma will be starting one-on-one sessions with Fudomine soon. So Atobe, what did you have in mind for us?" asked Akira.

"Well, I will have the schedule ready for you after Ryoma finishes up with me and Choutaro. Don't worry about anything since I will take care of everything." Smiled Atobe.

"Geez, you are really putting Ryoma to work, aren't you? I just saw the footage of him winning prizes for his friends. Is he really this nice to everyone? Because when we met him, he was still a cocky brat who just loves to talk down to his opponents. Has he finally changed?" asked Akira.

"Saa! Yes, he finally turned into that new man that we know and love now." smiled Fuji.

"Well, I guess we will see what Ryoma has in store for us next." Finished Inui.

Back at the church, Choutaro and Jirou continued their chat since he was the only person that can help the blonde get over his anxiety on Gakuto because he did not know why this change suddenly occurred. At this point, Choutaro would just have to accept his new teammate and learn to get along with the acrobatic player.

"Choutaro, I can understand that you don't want to leave Shishido, but this is for the best. So, I am sure Gakuto will be more than happy to guide you through the doubles competition because your previous partner has taught you everything you need to know. Therefore, you just have to apply what you have learned and be strong." Said Jirou.

"Are you sure? Because I don't know if Gakuto will be able to copy my formation during the upcoming tennis match later on." Added Choutaro worriedly.

"Give it a try, please? Do you remember when Kikumaru formed a battery with you during the junior selection camp tennis match? He worked very well with you befor and is looking forward to doing so again in Hokkaido. Besides, as much as I really would love to work with Shishido, I think you and Gakuto should be able to form a strong partnership together." Said Ryoma as he placed his hand on choutaro's neck.

"Well, since you've both convinced me, I guess it shouldn't be an issue so I think I can talk to Gakuto about it later on. Again, thank you for coming to see me and making me a lot more happier." Smiled Choutarou.

"Anytime, Choutarou-sempai. I am sure kikumaru would be proud of our decision right now since he always supports whatever plans we come up with. Furthermore, I am glad that I had a chance to talk to you today for the one-on-one session and it really helped me to continue my bachelor experience. Besides, I know that Monkey King would want me to do the same with him later this evening because he may have something big planned for me with the Fudomine team later on. Although Shinji is a quiet, reserved player, he does seem to have a soft spot for me. However, when he is around other people, he sometimes snaps a lot. Therefore, I will be the one to figure out the cause of this when I see Shinji next time." Continued Ryoma.

"Be careful around Shinji, you might never know what he is capable of doing since he doesn't feel comfortable around a lot of people except you, Ryoma. Furthermore, a lot of the students are either afraid of him or just don't want to face him in tennis. As a friend, I am telling you to be on your guard." Continued Choutarou.

"Of course, thank you again my friend. I will do my best not to piss Shinji off because who knows what sort of hell he could unleash. But still though, when I faced that quiet player from Fudomine, I can still remember the injury that was inflicted on me. However, I didn't blame Shinji; I blamed myself for being too reckless at that time. But I finally learned my lesson and thus, that guy isn't so bad after all. Maybe I do feel like hanging out with him later." Said Ryoma.

"Oh, that's totally understandable and we know what you've been through. However, you finally learned to let it go right?" said Jirou.

"Yeah, I am over that now. I don't have anything to worry about since I know Shinji didn't mean to do any of that. Therefore, I will do whatever I can to ensure no conflicts stir up when I start my one-on-one dates with the Fudomine team." Continued Ryoma.

"Good luck to you, shorty. Remember, we will be here if you need anything." Added jirou.

"Understood, guys. Oh, look who else is here. Looks like Gakuto arrived just in time." Smiled Ryoma.

As Gakuto entered the church, he spotted Choutaro and Jirou inside and waved at them before walking towards the benches and settled himself down. As for Ryoma, he immediately walked outside and turned to his friends, "Guys, I will see you at Hokkaido soon, and remember your new partnerships that you will be teaming up with, take care of yourselves!"

"You too as well, kid. Good luck with Atobe-sama! Honestly, we're not even sure why our captain talked you into this, but it is clear that he is beyond delusional and unable to cope with reality." Continued Choutaro.

"No shit, choutaro! There is not much that I can say except good luck. Furthermore, I don't even know why I had to date that brat in the first place. It's totally not my thing. Besides, why am I involved in that brat's love life anyway?" groaned the red haired acrobat.

"Well, like it or not, we all have gotten ourselves involved with that brat and I don't mind it at all. I feel so relieved after spending time with Ryoma since he taught me a valuable lesson about staying awake without falling asleep when he played ping-pong with me. In other words, I also told him to stay focused in school. But still though, Ryoma manages to pass all his classes despite not paying attention, how is that possible?" said jirou

"Maybe he has the ability to understand the lessons and that's why he is able to breeze through all the tests given to him. Perhaps he can tutor us with our classes and see if we can be like him?" agreed Choutaro.

"We might ask Atobe to see if he can let his date tutor us with our classes because I sometimes fall behind on my classical literature and math classes." Added Gakuto.

"I think that is a great idea. Besides, if that brat can help you with homework just like he did with Jackal and Yuushi, it shouldn't be much of an issue. After all, Ryoma has great English skills just like Krauser." Added Hiyoshi.

"When did you get here?" asked gakuto.

"I asked him to stop by because he has heard about the partner ships with our tennis club, and I am more than happy to partner with echizen while Ohtori partners up with Gakuto and Hiyoshi will work with yuushi. I think we will be pretty happy with the partnership since Atobe has it all prepared for us. Check your phones." Said Shishido as he stood by the door.

As the gang checked their phones, Ryoma took out his sunglasses and made his cool pose as he looked back at his friends in the church before disappearing into the streets.

"I swear, that kid is something else altogether. If I had known this sooner, we wouldn't have helped him with his bachelor mission." Muttered Hiyoshi.

"We didn't have a choice. Atobe knows every move that kid will made and will constantly observe and help when needed. No wonder that kid made a huge scene in front of us in order to show loyalty to his boyfriend. Besides, we have heard the conversation that he had with you guys regarding Shinji Ibu and frankly, we don't blame them for what happened in that match and we can understand what that kid has been through. Still, you guys are right, he needs to be careful around that weird guy." Continued Yuushi.

Everyone looked at each other and nodded their heads in agreement with their new partnerships, but Shishido wasn't sure if he was ready for this yet since he had never worked with a kid from a different school. This will be his first time forming a battery with that Seigaku brat because Echizen wasn't used to playing doubles before in tennis. Furthermore Shishido could be showing that brat some of the tricks that he learned with Choutaro so that he could use it in the U-17 world cup later on because at that time, he would face off against his biggest rival named Buudouin.

~/~

That night, Ryoma walked along the streets of Tokyo when he spotted Sakuno in front of him. At that moment, he decided to take her to a nearby park for a small chat before meeting with Atobe and walking his dog later. "Fancy meeting you here, Sakuno. What's up?"

"Well, you see. I heard that you were dating Atobe and I can understand that, but shouldn't you take interest in some girls or so because many of them are dying to meet you and make you a part of their Ladies Man club." Said Sakuno.

"Ladies man huh? Well, I don't know about that, but I am sure Kintaro is pretty interested in finding a girl of his dreams in your club. Is he inside right now?"

"Yeah, Shiraishi-sempai and Sengoku-sempai are also here since they became our lucky participants as well. Furthermore, I think our club has gained some members and I think you will be more than satisfied with our services." Said An.

"You must be Kippei's sister, right? I knew you would be here. Are you the club organizer here to get men to become more attracted to women? Well, keep up the good work and I am sure Momoshiro would be more than happy to be a part of the club as well." Said ryoma.

"Thanks Ryoma, but are you going to come inside for a little bit? I am sure Shiraishi and Sengoku are really anxious to talk to you." Continued An.

As Ryoma entered the club, he could see his sempais sitting down with a bunch of fangirls having drinks together while Shiraishi was busy being coddled and massaged by them and decided to wave at them.

"Lucky! Echizen Ryoma, so good of you to stop by! Come join us!" shouted Sengoku.

"I highly doubt that brat can pick up women for himself." Sighed Shiraishi. As Ryoma sat down next to his friends, he took out a ponta from his tennis bag and said, "How are you guys doing? I think I have done well with my mission as the bachelor and I seemed to have impressed the guys at Hyoutei. Furthermore, you guys could become lucky participants when I date you guys next after Fudomine."

"Seriously? How lucky are you? You lucky bastard!" boasted Sengoku. "When I was at the beach house with the Rokkaku gang, I've been able to pick up some girls, but it seems that they are more interested in Shiraishi and all of them want to date him."

"I don't think I am interested in girls because I don't date people. However, Yukimura-buchou convinced me to look after these girls from his school since they are becoming quite a pest at his garden area. Furthermore, Echizen-kun, would you please share a dancing move with one of the fangirls?" said Shiraishi.

Ryoma immediately changed into his tuxedo suit and donned his sunglasses before saying, "I would love to, Shiraishi-sempai. Also, I would love to give you some advice about how to get a girlfriend later on. Send me a note on my phone after this is over." He then grabbed one of the girls and held her tightly for the dance, leaving the other women screaming Ryoma's name and demanding his autograph. Furthermore, Shiraishi couldn't even believe what he was seeing in front of him. What is this? Is this really the first time that he ever danced with a girl or flirting with them? Everyone was obsessed with this bachelor and Sengoku immediately took some photos to add to his photo album. "I am going to be the luckiest guy in the world when I show this to my school coach. Furthermore, I am always happy to accompany Echizen on his dream of being a successful bachelor, what do you think, Shiraishi?"

"I don't know about that, but I think our Kintaro would also be interested in dating girls his age as well. However, we need to turn jungle boy into a popular guy so that the girls can get attracted to him. Furthermore, Kintaro always wanted to know about dating as well since he wants to know some tips about it later on. Perhaps if I send him over to someone that knows about this subject in general, I think it will really help him later on." Added Shiraishi.

"You really think so? Well, I am sure Ryoma would be glad to give him some pointers, right brat?" smiled Sengoku.

Ryoma could only give a wink at his friend and nod his head before resuming the dance for the night. About a half an hour later, Ryoma paused to take a break from dancing since he was a machine out there. Back in the control room, Krauser and the others watched with amazement since many of them didn't know that Ryoma became such a role model with the girls.

"Since when did that brat learn how to pick up women?" asked kirihara.

"Probably from watching Sengoku at the beach house earlier, I assume?" added Oishi.

"That lucky bastard danced with a girl tonight, how the hell is he still with Atobe at his villa? This is getting suspicious." Added Niou.

"Hasn't it become obvious to you that Ryoma will date just about anyone that he comes across? I mean he did surprise Hyoutei academy with the prizes that he won at the amusement park and I am certain that atobe will never let go of his meaningless quest on winning that brat's heart. Furthermore, my data shows that there is an 85 percent chance that the kid will be trying to let Fudomine's Ibu take the spotlight on finding love as well." Added Inui.

"Like I said, love isn't important to me, but I do believe Momo is much more interested in our An tachibana because her brother feels that she will be in good hands with that guy." Said Ibu.

"Shinji, what the hell? You are really going to let Momo take our An away from us just for a date? Whose side are you on anyway? I cannot approve of this because that girl is our responsibility. If anyone dares to take her away, it will be unacceptable and I will not stand to see that happen." Protested Kamio.

"Kamio, relax. I am sure it's just for a day or so, my sister seems to be really comfortable around Momo because she cares a lot about him and Echizen. So I am sure that she won't complain about it. Just give her a chance to get to know that guy a little better, will you?" said Kippei as he rested his hand on his teammate's shoulder.

"Well, I guess I can let it go for now. But you know how I feel about momo and his stalking ways." Continued Kamio.

"Don't worry about anything, my friend. I will do my best to look after her since she is interested in seeing movies and eating ice cream. We will start with that later on." Smiled Momo.

Kamio could only breathe a sigh of relief after hearing about momo's plan and decided to focus on the video in front of them. Suddenly, he could see Ryoma texting his lover the phone and said, "What he is sending his lover this time?"

"If I had to guess, I am thinking that he is ready to walk his lover's dog tonight since I just saw his limo pull up right now. The kid had just entered the car." Continued inui.

"I see, but did Sengoku just send him another message on his phone telling him to meet at Yamabuki later on for lessons on dating women? Wow, that stalker just never gives up on that kid. I always wondered why that guy is so interested in him. Is there something about the kid that piques that so called master of women?" asked Yuuta.

"I believe that I am responsible for telling Sengoku to let that brat try his skill on women because Hanamura Sensei feels that the kid will become her true art piece. Even Atobe told me this on the phone a few days ago since he wants that kid to really show his feelings for our coach." Added Wakato.

"Honestly, why do you people at Jyosei Shonan always have to interfere on a kid's quest at romance? Are you also working with that crazy jerk from Hyoutei as well? Oh, I see where this is going. So you believe that your school can teach him the meaning of love in just two days? That's not going to happen!" stated Jackal.

"Oh it will happen soon, just wait! We know him best because he will be dating our school in order to show just how soft and cuddly he can be." Contined the twins.

"But I am the one that does all the hugs for Ochibi, Nya!" whined Eiji. What makes you guys think that you know our ochibi so well?"

"Because we will invite him over to our dorms and perhaps to our coach's house for a little one-on-one date in order to teach him about the real meaning of dating women." Said Reiji.

Everyone in the room was shocked, including Ryoma since he had no idea why Josei Shonan was involved in this scheme as well. But as he looked at Atobe, the diva could only wink a smile at him while holding him tightly on his lap. Furthermore, Atobe feels that the brat was ready for his next mission since he was impressed at how well Ryoma has progressed so far in his dates with other students.

That night, as Ryoma entered the villa, he was given the leash while Atobe called for his afghan hound to come outside. A few minutes later, Atobe and ryoma attached the leash on Beat and they took a stroll around the neighborhood for a little while since this was Ryoma's chance to spend the night alone with the leader of the pack after waiting for so long now.

"You know, I had a lot of fun with your teammates today, so now, I am going to apply what I have learned with you." Said Ryoma.

"Ahn, so you finally have opened your eyes to the truth? You finally realized that I do have feelings for you?" smiled Atobe.

"You know that I am too young to date right?" added Echizen.

"Don't be daft, brat! I've already seen how well you have done so far. Admit it; you are truly a master at making out with people. If I were you, I would definitely tell the guys at Fudomine to ensure that they get their dates with you as well. Furthermore, I already had a talk with Shinji and he has agreed to date you on one condition." Continued Atobe.

"What sort of condition?" asked Ryoma.

"You are required to take An Tachibana to a movie of her choice, her favorite restaurant, and her favorite shopping center with Momoshiro. Furthermore, I asked Momo to tag alone because Yuushi recommended him as An's guide. So therefore, you guys will be double-dating her." Said Atobe.

"Are you kidding me? She isn't even my type, you know! And besides, Momo has become infatuated with her, but I don't know her that well yet." Added Ryoma.

"Oh, don't worry. I am sure An has met you plenty of times before since she has seen how well you and Momo played in tennis so far. Therefore, I am sure this will work since I got her brother's approval. Remember, Shinji is a little bit on the quiet side so try not to rile him up so much because he will take his anger out on people easily. Be on your guard." Warned Atobe.

Ryoma looked at him for a moment and scratched his head since he had never seen this side of Atobe before. He also has no idea what he is about to get himself into when he goes to Kippei's school tomorrow. Furthermore, Coach Ryuzaki has told him that after practice, he will resume the date since there will be consequences for missing out on tennis. Furthermore, Atobe is still keeping the offer for Ryoma and will let him consider it when he completes his next training phase.

"Not only are you narcissistic, but you are a nutcase, you know that?" said Ryoma.

"You impudent little Gaijin! Is that any way to talk to ore-sama after everything that I did for you?" fumed Atobe.

"Che! Sometimes I just feel that I have to get this out of my system. Did Fuji or Tezuka have anything to do with this?" continued Ryoma.

"They did follow through with my plan and decided to let you continue flirting with more school students because they want to see what it is like for you to get married one day." Laughed Atobe.

Ryoma twitched and vein popped. "Damn you Syusuke Fuji and Tezuka! I will get you guys back for this!" He almost released the leash, but Atobe immediately held the boy's hand and took the dog leash.

"Don't scare my dog! Seriously! Didn't anyone teach you how to take care of a pet before?" commented Atobe.

"Sorry about that, I was just trying to figure out my revenge plan for those two sadists later on. I just can't believe that you have to get them involved in my romance scheme. Please, leave them out of this since I cannot let them know about our relationship together."

"Our relationship will always be open to the public eye, my friend. Just accept my feelings for you and we can call it even. Furthermore, you don't have to hide anything from me anymore since our love is strong!"

"For the thousandth time, stop quoting Shakespeare!" shouted Ryoma.

"I cannot do that! You already know that I am a fan of that writer!" retorted Atobe.

Ryoma was indignant at that response and decided to walk ahead of him, "I fucking hate you so much right now. By the way, what is a gaijin?"

"Excuse me?" asked Atobe. 

"I asked you what is a Gaijin." retorted Ryoma. 

"I don't believe this! You've been in japan for a long time and you still have no idea what that means? it is Japanese for a foreigner that lives in other countries outside of Japan, you silly goose!" laughed Atobe. 

"Sorry, but I didn't really catch up on classical literature lately since I just feel like I need a refresher course in that subject." continued Ryoma. 

"Is that so? I see, well ore-sama will give you some pointers on classical literature with help from my teammates, right Kabaji?" 

"usu." said Kabaji. 

~/~

By the next morning, Ryoma arrived to practice early as usual and decided to warm up a bit with stretchs. Soon, he could see Horio and his friends setting up the balls and decided to help out.

"Hello Horio, do you need help?" asked Ryoma.

"Ryoma-kun! Looks like you are here early to dodge running laps. That is quite unexpected of you." Said Horio.

"yeah, I know right? You've never been here this early since you always doze off and fall asleep." Added Kachiro.

"Well, I decided to come early to get some practice done okay? I just need to do something so that I won't get bored. Furthermore, that bastard Atobe forced me to take my love towards Fudomine Middle school and he wants me to start off with Shinji Ibu, a rather troublesome and quiet kid that spews out nonsense which makes absolutely no sense." Groaned Ryoma as he picked up a tennis ball and served it towards a wall.

Just then, Oishi and the others arrived for their usual routine since Inui is still working on his juice. But as they see Ryoma practicing, they decided to have a little match with him.

"Ryoma! How nice of you to show up so early. You know you never come in this early since you are always away somewhere." Said Oishi.

"Ochibi loves to make us work hard, right baby?" smiled Eiji as he glomped the kid.

"Oi, Eiji-sempai, please stop hugging me! It is seriously annoying." Grumbled Ryoma.

"Saa! Looks like my plan worked after all. I am pleased that Ryoma is agreeing to our conditions, don't you think so, Momo?" smiled Fuji.

"Yup, I think the brat really knows how to handle the whole date scheme," added Momo.

Ryoma didn't want to hear anything more about his love life from his sempais since they talk too much. Furthermore, as practice continued, he is able to hit and return serves easily without missing a single ball. Everyone was surprised at him since they have never seen him play so seriously like this before. Maybe he was too fired up about dating the students at Fudomine because he needed the strength to keep up. Even Eiji and Oishi were quite impressed at Ryoma's endeavor and his tenacious abilities since none of them have been able to defeat him.

By the time practice was over, all the non-regulars have left the courts while Ryoma focused on cleaning up the tennis balls on the ground. By the time he was finished, he could see Kippei and his teammates entering the tennis courts talking with Fuji since they are here to pick the kid up for their date.

"Hello there Kippei-sempai." Said Ryoma as he approached the older teen.

"Hello yourself, Ryoma. Atobe has asked us to pick you and Momo up for our date. Furthermore, An couldn't wait to see you since she is dying to take you guys out for a fun time together." Said Kippei.

"Yeah, and that pompous jerk forced me to let you guys double-date my captain's sister as a bonus. I just can't believe that I have to listen to his demands like this." Groaned Kamio.

"I thought An was Ryoma's girlfriend. But now it seems that the kid has been forced into this sex game by his boyfriend. I wonder if Ryoma would look good in a dress?" added Ibu.

There was silence among the group while Fuji and the team sweat-dropped.

"That was so not funny, Shinji! You know how I feel about wearing a dress!" shouted Ryoma angrily.

"Don't be silly, kid. I think this really suits you because I want to see you kiss An." Continued Ibu.

"Shinji, don't even go there." Said kippei. Everyone else deadpanned at him while Ryoma was getting ready to smack his rival in the head with tennis balls. As the gang left Seigaku, Ryoma could see that something was different about these guys since this was the first time that he ever dated the most quiet and reserved bunch of tennis players here in Japan.

"So, which one of you guys want to start your one-on-one date?" asked Ryoma.

"That would be your rival, Shinji Ibu." Stated Kippei.

Ryoma was shocked as he looked at his rival in the eye, but Shinji just frowned at him and grabbed the kid's hand and took off into the direction of the sports shop where they are going to face off in buying their necessities.

Looks like Ibu is not going to take no for an answer since he really wants Ryoma to be by his side at all times.


	19. Dating Fudomine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyoutei's First Date
> 
> By: NarutoandBleach
> 
> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.

[A Date with Fudomine]

"Seriously? You mean I will be dating this weirdo that likes to talk a lot, spew out jokes that are not funny, and likes to try and jump into action without thinking?" asked a shocked echizen.

"Yes, I am your date, so what's wrong with the unfunny jokes? Am I really that boring to you?" glared Shinji as he approached echizen with a deadly aura. Ryoma was starting to get nervous when Shinji was all over him. Everyone else sweat-dropped while Kippei sighed in response.

"Ryoma, I told you not to get on my teammate's bad side. Now look what you have done, your little insult only made Shinji jealous of you even more. Besides, I am sure Kamio feels the same way when Ann is dating Momoshiro."

"Captain, what are you insinuating? And just whose side are you on anyway?" protested Kamio.

"Guys, save the incriminations for later. Right now, Shinji and I are going to practice tennis for a bit before I start dating him since Atobe wants me to buy a couple of things for him. Frankly, I can't even believe why I am running monkey king's errands." Groaned Ryoma as he grabbed his rival's hand and headed off into the courts. As the game progressed, Shinji has his opponent backed into the corner since he is playing a lot differently than before thanks to the latter's training. Furthermore, Shinji isn't playing like an amateur since he is starting to get stronger now, leaving no chance for the young rookie to fight back. Ryoma was surprised to see that his opponent was trained well and decided try and give it everything he has. Unfortunately, he was already at his limit and there was no point for this game to go any further.

"You have come a long way since we first played together, Ibu-sempai. However, the training that I have endured is a lot different because we both pushed ourselves to be the best out there. But it seems that the training methods we used are a lot more advanced now. Therefore, don't let your guard down when the World Cup begins later on." Warned Ryoma.

"I won't hold anything back in the world cup, but shouldn't we get some shopping done?" continued Inu.

"Ah yes, that. Yes, furthermore, our match will be put off for another day. Anyway, what do you need?" asked Ryoma.

Ibu showed Ryoma the shopping list from his phone and the amount of money that needs to be spent and to his surprise, Ryoma seems to have a little less than that. But he wasn't worried though since he got some money from his father during the Chinese New Year as an incentive and lucky for him, he reached into his pocket and found the red packet containing the money before putting it in his wallet while Shinji watched.

"What? My family isn't that rich so this is only chunk change." Said Ryoma.

"You call that chunk change? More like you family seems to be generous enough to give that to you." Added Inu as he pointed at the wallet.

"Yeah well your family will give you cash when you need it right? Anyway, you wanted a pencil case, a game cartridge, some snacks, and a manga book? You are just like me and don't want to do anything but sit and rest all day. Since when are you into video games?" asked Ryoma.

"My life has been focused too much on tennis and my brain hurts just thinking about it. However, I decided to give the sport a break to rest my brain before it melts. That's why I decided to come and go shopping to clear my head of those unpleasant images. All of sudden, you show up out of the blue and decided to date me thanks to your boyfriend. Tell me, are our lives intertwined with one another?" continued Ibu.

"I believe so. It seems that we have different ways of thinking about things and I have ways to lead my own team to victory. And it just so happens that I have found my pencil box and snacks at the superstore and the video game I need in the electronics area. I guess 240 yen has been reasonably spent here so all I need are a couple of manga books and we should be all set. Now, all I need is just another 80 yen from you and we can call it even." Said Ibu as he took the cash from Ryoma's wallet and went inside the bookstore before texting him, "thank you for the generous donations."

Ryoma wasn't sure what to say after seeing his money being taken away by Ibu since this guy doesn't seem to understand anything about "saving cash" for the bare necessities. Elsewhere, Eiji, momo, Kirihara, and yuushi watched from behind the store alley area and were confused since they had never seen Ibu spent that much cash before. "Okay, what just happened back there? Aren't those two supposed to be out on a date? What are they doing in a store like that?" asked Kirihara.

"It seems that Ibu is asking Ryoma to get some shopping done for him since you do remember how Shishido and Keigo asked for that brat to bring something back for them? Well this time, Ibu wants that kid to show some appreciation for him as well since all the schools wants Ryoma to do something special. In other words, he wants thought and consideration from that kid," added Yuushi.

"For real? Our O'chibi doesn't carry that much cash on him! Where did he get the money from anyway?" asked Eiji. "When I buy things, I sometimes ask my doubles partner to help me out, but Ibu is obsessed with cash and that isn't like him at all."

"Look at his wallet, you can see that he has extra cash on him thanks to his father because during Chinese New Year, Nanjiroh gave him the cash for safe keeping and he even lets him spend some of it on the things he needs." Said Oishi.

"Geez! That kid really seems to care a lot about us instead of himself. I think that Atobe must have taught him a lesson on caring for others and I must admit, he really has showed off his brotherly role to everyone thanks to his caring side. Does he always do everyone these sorts of favors? Because it looks to me like he knows deep down that we have done a lot for him and thus, he is returning the debt of gratitude. I am so glad that he has been taught well by his peers." Smiled Kirihara.

"That's our ochibi for ya, he always likes to be more aware of people around him because he seems to be gaining more friends among us. To me, it's showing a sign that we have taught echizen the meaning of caring even though he does not want to admit it because he does get embarrassed at times." Smiled Eiji

"The only reason why Ryoma gets embarrassed is because you hug him too much and he doesn't like that. So it would be best to limit the hugs since we need that kid to be more comfortable around people without letting him get distracted by anything else. Furthermore, a simple wave and a "hello, how good to see you" will be enough." Added Yuushi.

"He may be stubborn, but he is definitely our adorable baby prince." Added Kenya.

"Yeah, for sure. I did bully him once, but he didn't feel any reaction at all and brushed it off like it was nothing. I am not sure where he is getting the courage and strength to stand up for himself, but I am starting to warm up to him." Chided tanishi while munching on his snacks while Kite and his teammates looked on in disgust.

"But I think hugs are a lot better and we always give them away for free you know? I can understand that Ryoma doesn't want hugs for now, but he will need them in the near future." Continued Eiji.

"Sure, but you always seem to be hugging your doubles partner a lot more than you have for Ryoma now. I think I should do the same for that kid later on." Added Gakuto.

As the date resumed, Ryoma and Shinji looked at each other with lightning bolts striking at the same time since the kid didn't realize that some of his allowance money was gone. Eventually he knows that Shinji spent it, but decided to overlook it this time since they are still on a date together and if there is a fight going on, their time together will be ruined. As of now, both pretending lovers must compromise together and will agree to split their spending equally so that they can both share at the same time. Although Ryoma hated that idea, he had no other choice because he did not want to hurt Ibu's feelings while endeavoring to respect his wishes. As the two finished shopping, they headed over to the ice cream parlor where Kamio, Momo, and An were waiting for them. Once arriving, Ryoma waved after Momo and An while Akira and Ibu checked off the shopping list since he was quite surprised to see the weirdo dating Ryoma.

"Ibu-sempai, pardon me for asking, but why are you dating that brat? I thought I mentioned this to you before; Atobe is that kid's lover and all of a sudden, you took him shopping? What's the deal?"

"If you really must know, Atobe wanted me to spend a little time with him and I had asked him what he wanted to buy and so, he showed me his list and I showed him mine. Furthermore, we made a compromise and split the payments without any confrontation." Said Shinji

"For real? You guys succeeded without any confrontation, but whenever baka mom is around An, I don't trust him since he can easily take my girlfriend right under my nose. What does that freak-of-nature see in her?" said Kamio

"I heard that, Kamio! For the thousandth time, I like An because she is there to comfort me when I am stressed out or when I am just not in a mood to practice tennis. She can easily cheer me up in a heartbeat." Smiled Momo.

"Well, I don't have the same personalities that you do! Sometimes you are too care-free around girls and I think you are getting too obsessed with them. You have to take it easy on An because she does get too sensitive to the whole date thing and I don't want her to date for any wrong reasons. As for Atobe, I don't know why he is turning Ryoma into his bachelor for hire but I can tell you that if he is coming after an, I need to keep an eye on him as well since I cannot let you guys get into trouble with my captain since he is very protective of his sister." Continued Kamio

"I don't think that's the issue here. Do you remember how Atobe tried to make Ann fall for him before? We managed to step in and save her just in time. This time, Atobe has become less interested in An and took his fetishes on Ryoma instead because he feels that our ochibi will make these dates more interesting. Personally, I don't blame keigo for his way of finding love, but I think he officially broke up with that girl from his school for a good reason before taking Ryoma into his life." Added Momo.

"Really? So Atobe feels that I am not his type? That is understandable, but why does he like Ryoma so much? I mean, that girl from Hyoutei tried to get back together with him but he is totally not into her because she was just too annoying for him to deal with. IN other words, I am assuming Ryoma echizen is more important to him than any other girl in his school?" stated An. "If so, then I have to thank Atobe personally for turning that cute kid into a bachelor. Anyway, Ryoma care to join me, Kamio, and Momo for a double date?"

"A double date? Well, I guess I can kill some time since my work with Shinji is complete. I got nothing else to do anyway." Shrugged Ryoma as he sat down at a table next to the ice cream shop.

"Echizen Ryoma, I thank you for your business dealings that you have done with me and I enjoyed hanging out with you. But now, I need to get back into tennis practice with some of my fellow doubles players at Fudomine. Catch you later, brat!" waved Ibu as he ran off into the distance after eating ice cream.

"Sure thing, I will see you soon as well." Waved Ryoma as he turned his attention towards An Tachibana and Akira Kamio. "Now then guys, what brings you here today?"

"Why, we're on a date of course! And besides, Keigo has asked Kamio here to date Ryoma as well." smiled An.

"Ann! Did you have to reveal our plans to that kid? You're embarrassing me in front of that popular ladies' man sitting across from us!" protested Kamio as he sat down next to Ryoma who was sipping on ponta while studying the menu in front of him.

"That's no biggie at all, Besides, dating Kamio was my plan all along because I haven't had time to practice my tennis moves with the speed demon yet. Furthermore, a movie is also ideal too so I got time to do both things together. Anyway, An, what movie did you wanted to see?" asked Ryoma.

"Well, it's a romance movie for all of us. It's not a double-date, it's a three-in-one date now. Yes, that means you must see the movie with me because I love having to cuddle three cute boys right in front of me. I think you guys might enjoy the movie called "Romance in Paris" because the characters are doing the same thing we're doing: dating people at random."

"An, since when did you make this a three-in-one date? I thought this was supposed to be between me and Momo. But why did you add Echizen into our group?" asked kamio.

"Well, since Atobe has asked Kippei to let Ryoma come with us, he wants that kid to fulfill my desire to see the movie with me before taking me to the restaurant of my choice. Therefore, we have to comply with his decision." Finished An

"Since when did that pompous jerk started flirting with you? He is messing with our heads!" shouted Kamio as a tick appeared above his head. "Atobe, when I am done with you, there will be hell to pay!" Ryoma could see that Kamio was getting fired up and decided not to interfere while slurping down his ice cream while momo was busy holding onto An's shoulder posing for a picture together. This made Kamio vein pop even more as he tried to take An away from that good-for-nothing jerk.

"Hands off my girl, jerk! What makes you think you can just pose a photo with my girl without permission?" asked a ticked off Kamio.

"Hey! She is our girl and we have to share her, remember? She asked me to tag along because I got out early from practice. I am sure Ryoma would agree with me that he was asked to come as well, right kid?" smiled Momo as he ruffled the young prodigy's hair while he sighed.

"Momo, seriously, you are starting to act like Eiji all of a sudden. Control yourself!" said Ryoma.

"Sorry about that, Ryoma-kun! You know I cannot resist on a good movie like this!" smiled Momo.

"Sometimes, I really wish that Atobe would come up with a better plan than this! I mean why did he have to choose me to date Ann? I mean we are not sibling related. Furthermore, even I am at a loss as to why I have to be picked as the bachelor for Ann Tachibana?" he thought to himself as the three of them finished their ice cream before tossing it in the trash can. Furthermore, Ryoma could see that Kamio still had ice-cream stains on his mouth and decided to wipe it clean with a napkin for him.

"Ryoma, you know I can easily clean up after myself, right? Thank you for your help, but I can take care of this." Said Kamio as he took the napkin from Ryoma's hand and wiped his face and mouth clean of the ice cream drops before heading over to the water fountain to wash it off. Afterwards, the four of them headed inside the movie theater and bought their tickets for the "Romance in Paris" movie. Once the gang got settled inside the theater, they watched a couple of previews and chatted a little bit since the beginning portion were mostly just commercials and upcoming shows on television. Afterwards, the previews showed mostly action movies and drama related previews for the next few months.

"This is pretty good stuff, but too bad some of the viewers below us are not too interested in drama related movies." Said Momo.

"That's true, I am more of an action movie and sci-fi stuff because superhero movies tells me to be aware of dangerous situations around me. And it will be up to me to protect those that matter to me the most." Added Kamio.

"Same here guys. I don't watch drama related things because it just stirs up pain and torture. So I decided to stay with comedy and action related shows now despite the fact that my family is forcing me to watch their crappy shows every single weekend, leaving me no chance to catch up on my sleep since practicing for several hours in a tennis court really wears me out." Finished Ryoma.

As the movie began, Ann had her eyes glued to the screen the entire time while listening to the introduction narrated by the main character as he searches for the person that he loves the most while trying to find his way home since Ryoma and Momo are starting to have heart shapes in their eyes while hugging Kamio tightly.

"Guys? What's your deal? Get off of me!" protested Kamio as he struggles to set himself free, but it was no use since Ryoma couldn't seem to let go of his lover. Momo feels that it was time for him to hold onto Ann's hand while embracing her tightly. At that moment, Ann blushed a bit and decided to lift the seat handle before resting on momo's chest. At that moment, Kamio vein popped and tried to lift Ann gently up, but she refuses to move as the movie goes on to the scene where the girl starts to develop feelings for the man as he followed the girl to her house. Once there, the woman introduces her lover to her family and they seem to be pretty excited about the man. However, they wanted to know more about him and his job, his life and occupation.

"Looks like that guy is falling for her in an instant." Said Ryoma.

"Agreed, this is one of our favorite scenes. I do believe he should marry that woman if they have feelings for each other. Furthermore, they do make a cute couple." Added Momo.

"Same can be said between you and Atobe because I can see why he took quite a shine on you." Finished Kamio.

"Really? So you really do feel that Atobe has feelings for me?" said Ryoma.

"But of course, I've seen how well you bonded together and I can see why Momo has bonded so well with Ann, maybe I can learn a thing or two from him because my captain wants me to try and take her to places that she enjoys the most." Continued Kamio.

"I thought you didn't like Momo flirting with Ann," retorted Ryoma.

"I changed my mind, I am perfectly fine with people flirting with ann anyway just as long as they don't hurt her." Finished Kamio.

~/~

By the time the movie was over, Ryoma and the others exited the theater and headed over to a fancy restaurant. As the guys took a seat, they noticed a group of people sitting behind them. Surprisingly, it was the guys from Josei Shonan who showed up sooner than expected since the twins were fascinated by Ryoma and Kamio's little date with Momo and Ann together. Furthermore, Hiroshi Wakato started taking photographs of the cute couple together, making them blush in embarrassment.

"What are you guys doing here?" asked Kamio.

"Hanamura sensei wanted us to tag along and see if you guys were really dating each other. And to our surprise, you both really hit it off. I am surprised that our coach made an accurate prediction of you guys dating." Said one of the twins.

"Actually, I am called the bachelor by Atobe keigo since he still thinks I am his little prince of love. Furthermore, he asked me to date Kamio since this is my chance to get to know him better.

"But dating is hanging out altogether, you know that?" stated Kajimoto.

"True, but since me and Kamio are having a thing with each other, it just brings us closer together." Said Ryoma

"Ryoma, you know that I don't have any love feelings for you!" protested Kamio.

"Come on, this is just pretend dating. Furthermore, we don't want Ann to be embarrassed at what we are doing because she still has feelings for Momo over there." Finished Ruoma.

"But you are the one making this date real! How can this be pretend when you started taking on the role? After all, our coach has made a proposition for you to date us next after you wrap up with Fudomine. Furthermore, Atobe has made it clear that he needs you in the spotlight because you are famous for dating boys at other schools. Therefore, it will be in our best interest that you date us next." Continued Kohei.

"Are you sure? I have to ask Keigo about that since he makes most of the decisions about whom I should date next since he loves having me around at his place. In other words, I always get chased by girls since they want me to date them as well because love doesn't come cheap, you know? Besides, I've dated plenty of boys in my time because Kevin wanted to see how many girls would be able to come to me without letting them fall for other men in their lives." Commented Ryoma

"Wow, you lucky son of a bitch! How did everyone start falling for you all of a sudden? Do you get paid for dating anyone that you come across?" stated Youhei.

"I don't get paid for the dates, but I do get a lot of signed autographs in return since keigo wants all the schools to sign autographs for me and I have to message them back as a token of my hard work. Furthermore, a lot of people are counting on me to continue this bachelor mission but I do have a hunch that Atobe's former girlfriend is trying to break us up since she wants that beautiful diva for herself. Furthermore, I hear that she is doing everything in her power to try and stop me from continuing my pursuit of boys in schools. However, I am not going to let that bother me since Atobe does not want her in his life." Finished Ryoma.

"That's cool, and I am glad to see that you have the guts to continue dating even when that girl is trying to ruin the moment between you guys. Whatever happens out there, good luck. Besides though, that girl from Hyoutei is pretty cute, I would love to date her soon and thanks to some assistance from Sengoku next to me, we are considered to be lucky. Maybe we can ask Atobe to take that girl off his hands since he has other things to attend to, what you think?" asked Hiroshi.

As everyone settled down for dinner, Ryoma took a sip of his drink and continued, "Sure that would be good. I am sure Atobe wouldn't mind having you guys taking that girl off Monkey King's mind for the next few days since he is going to want me to date Kippei Tachibana the next day. I am sure he has something bigger in store for me since he already knows my plan and the dates that I went on so far." Finished Ryoma.

"Wonderful! Thank you so much for doing us this favor! I promise you won't be disappointed." Smiled Hiroshi as he shook ryoma's hand before texting Atobe and ask him to date his former girlfriend. Once he agreed, Ryoma and the others wrapped up their day in the restaurant and paid their tabs before Kamio and Ann thanked Ryoma and Momo for a great time. By the time they left, Momo asked Ryoma, "Do you need a ride back home?"

"Sure, I mean I've had a long day. Besides, I am sure Kippei would want me to make his date as smooth as possible for tomorrow so that I won't have to worry about anything else.

"Okay then, let's go." Smiled Momo as the two of them boarded a train headed back to their home. Once arriving, Ryoma and Momo splitted up and headed towards their respective houses. Elsewhere in the control room, Renji and Inui were pretty impressed at how well Ryoma handled the situation in the restaurant earlier. Furthermore, even Yuushi couldn't think of anything else to say at the moment. "I don't get it, how did Ryoma know that Atobe had a girlfriend before?"

"This was something that atobe never told us since he first started having feelings for that brat. It's pretty amazing knowing that our captain is keeping tabs on that kid every single time they dated. Furthermore, Hiroshi and Sengoku are really interested in Atobe's previous girlfriend since she always pesters him so much." Added Gakuto.

"I see, so it's the same girl that is trying to get Atobe to take the bento that she made for him during the national tournament right? I already told her that Atobe was not in the mood for her food and I hope she will understand that he has his lunch prepared by the butlers at his house. Furthermore, her interference will only drive a wedge between Atobe and that brat." Said Hiyoshi.

"Yup, but none of us have anything against her since she is only trying to look out for Atobe's best interest." Stated Shishido.

"Unfortunately, Atobe is refusing the bento that she made for him since he has the butlers to help make it for him before he heads out the door in the morning. I think she is burdening lot of responsibility on him and needs a break from that. So I do agree that the guys from Josei Shonan will be able to take her out for a special date that she needs for tomorrow." Continued Choutaro.

"My school doesn't have a lot of girls that act like this. Furthermore, my little sister knows what the guys want and she will always have the assistance of Tomoka and Sakuno to assist her when necessary. Besides, she asked them to bring water bottles for our school and would recommend them to volunteer at Fudomine to help serve food and drinks for my teammates later on." Said Kippei.

"really, since when you are this caring about the people of Seigaku?" asked Kirihara.

"ever since I heard Ryoma and Atobe started dating each other. This tells me that I have developed a strong friendship with him because I care so deeply about that kid. He never ceases to amaze me when he and Shinji reached a compromise in that store earlier. I guess that kid really knows what he is doing after all. Tomorrow, I am hoping to meet him in person since he did well with dating my sister." Said Kippei

Oi! Ochibi dated Ann Tachibana? Wow no wonder Sakuno didn;'t find him so interesting!" whined Kikumaru.

"Ryoma has his ways of choosing a girl that is right for him. Furthermore, I have seen how Sakuno always dates Ann on a daily basis and she seems to be beating him to the punch, saa!" smiled Fuji.

"So Sakuno and Ann eh? Those two don't fit together; it's like watching two old birds going senile while drinking tea! Cough!" said Davide.

Everyone in the room sweat-dropped at that unfunny joke as bane immediately knocked his teammate to the ground with his foot. "Your jokes are so lame, it's not even funny anymore!" shouted a ticked off Bane.

In the corner, Kintaro and yuji were laughing like crazy while Shiraishi tried his best not to laugh at Davide's failures. Just then, Echizen arrived in the control room while setting down his tennis equipment before taking a seat next to Shiraishi.

"Oi, Echizen, did you know that Ann has personally invited Sakuno to her school for the summer?" stated Taka.

Echizen immediately stood up at that remark and turned to his teammate, "Excuse me?"

"Sakuno is going to Fudomine you know that?" added inui.

"Well, great for her! I hope she enjoys her time volunteering at that place. Just seeing her and Tomoka interrupting my tennis practice is already annoying enough." Said Ryoma while lowering his cap.

Everyone was shocked at his remark. "Echizen! That's rude. Just because Sakuno dumped you for another girl doesn't give you right to kick her to the curb! Besides, how do you feel about Sakuno working for another school?" asked Kikumaru.

"I don't care either way. With sakuno at Fudomine, I can finally practice tennis peace and I won't have worry about hearing their annoying cheers every single day." Finished ryoma.

"Nya, brat! you don't know a thing about girls!" whined Gakuto.

"Maybe he was acting a little bit girlish because he played the role of Juliet at Hyoutei Academy a few years ago." Jeered Kenya.

Ryoma immediately blushed in a flash of red and shouted, "Shut up! It's not what you think!"

"I saw you kissing Sakuno a few weeks ago, so are you lying to us?" added Eishiro.

"Yeah! You are pretty bad at making up lies, dude. Tell us the truth or we will never forgive you!" boasted Tanishi.

"I definitely saw them kissing in the practice field." Elaborated Renji as he grabbed Inui's notebook and said, "What is her relationship to you?"

Ryoma tried to escape the wrath of his friends, but Kippei immediately nodded towards Kirihara and Kintaro to block the door, preventing him from escaping. At this point, Kippei could finally have his personal one-on-one date with the brat from Seigaku without letting anyone else interfere.

"Me and Sakuno are just friends, not brother and sister!" I swear that's all I know!" begged Ryoma.

"Really? I can see that she is always giving you food to suit your tastes. Did you ever think about thanking her instead of criticizing her cooking?" asked Shishido.

"I guess I never did. Maybe I wasn't warmed up with her foods yet, but I will still give it a chance." Said Ryoma as he retired into the bedroom down the hall with kippei following close behind him.

"I hope so! Because you really have to try out some of Ryuzaki's hand-made foods They are really good!" smiled Momo.

Ryoma didn't say a word except giving a thumbs up towards his friends before heading to the room down the hall.

"So Ryoma, are you ready for our personal date tomorrow?" asked Kippei.

"Sure, but where are we going?"

"you will see soon enough." Replied Kippei as they both entered the room and fell asleep on the bed after brushing their teeth and changing into their pajamas.


	20. Dating Kippei and Break up Attempt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyoutei's First Date
> 
> By: NarutoandBleach
> 
> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.

By the next morning, Ryoma got up and started his usual morning routine and chores. As he went into the kitchen, he could already see Oishi and Kikumaru preparing breakfast. Furthermore, Inui is still at the tennis courts working on his juice concoction while Yuushi and Gakuto were practicing tennis outside the control room. As for Kippei he was still sleeping on a typical Saturday since there wasn't much to be done. Furthermore, Ann and Kamio had already gone home to put their tennis equipment away before they head out to do some shopping on their own.

Soon, Kippei got up and could see that breakfast was ready and decided to have the usual for breakfast. Furthermore, he could see that Ryoma was eating French toast with yogurt and bagels just like he would do at home. He then turned to his date and said, "Good morning, Tachibana-buchou. Hope you slept well last night."

"I certainly did, thank you for asking. How about you, Ryoma?" asked Kippei

"I was out like a light last night thinking about what our plan for today. I can see that it's a Saturday and everyone else is busy tending to shopping or just hanging out at the park like normal teens. It seems that they have their regular schedules that they must follow on a daily basis. That's a good thing since you and I have a lot to get to today."

"That's right. We do have a date together. But first, before we do, I like to have a little practice match with you in tennis to see how far you have improved. I know we never got a chance to face each other in the nationals, but now I think we are prepared to settle the score once and for all. Follow me, Ryoma." Finished Tachibana as he grabbed the rackets and took Ryoma outside to the backyard for their match.

"Are you sure you want to do this now? What about the world cup?" asked Ryoma.

"We will face each other at that time. Right now, I wanted to see what you have learned so far from your previous matches." Said Tachibana.

As the match began, Ryoma started off with a twist serve that Tachibana returned easily. Soon, Ryoma started using the gekokujo that he learned from Hiyoshi's match in the Kanto finals and it somehow overpowered Kippei's moves. Furthermore, he added a little bit of the sliding serve in the mix as well since he could use these in the world cup matches later on.

"I am very impressed, Ryoma-kun. I see you've come a long way since you defeated Ibu. But now, it's time for me to get serious as I show you my wild lion move. Now I know you haven't seen the full extent of my abilities, this is the first that you will see of it."

"Just come at me with what you have, Kippei-sempai. I am ready for you!" called Ryoma as he returned the ball back to his opponent.

"You got guts, you know that? But this is not child's play. This is the real deal! Prepare to witness my Wild Ball as I send 5 balls at you. Try to hit them back towards me." Continued Kippei.

Ryoma did what he was told and managed to use the same move back at his opponent while sending the balls flying past him and into the wall behind him. Furthermore, Tachibana couldn't even believe that brat had mastered this move in just a day and wondered where his strength came from. Furthermore, when anyone challenged him to a match, he always ended up playing rough, but today; he was going easy on the kid because he was in love with him.

"You know, I might actually have feelings for you, kid. Although I didn't want to admit it at first, but when we played against you guys, I just feel that you are special to me, you know?" said tachibana as he blushed.

"I beg your pardon? Atobe is the only one that has feelings for me since he started dating me. Since when did you start having feelings for me?"

"Well, if Atobe has been dating you for a while, maybe I should do the same thing that he did for you since he asked me to share my thoughts about you. Furthermore, Atobe knows that you are too shy to admit your love and feelings towards him, but when you are with me, you started warming my heart up and I can see why my sister started to like you as well. Anyway, you want some ponta?"

"Wow, that's the first thing you asked me this morning, but sure, why not? I could use a little drink to quench my thirst. Let's go!" And with that, Ryoma and Kippei walked over to the vending machines and selected their flavored drinks before resuming their game.

Back in the control room, Momo and Kikumaru were watching the affair unfolding in front of them since they had never seen tachibana act like this before. "Okay, what on earth is the captain of fudomine doing? When did he start falling in love with our O'chibi?"

"Nya, I am sure he wanted to date that kid for a while since a lot of people find him hot and sexy-looking. I can tell because he feels Ryoma could be the one to admit his true feelings for him.

"Ahn, so you think Kippei is starting to make a move on my boyfriend? Well, I can see why that captain started becoming a flirter. But I don't mind. I actually think it will be a great idea for Kippei to take my boyfriend home for a few nights while I am dealing with other important matters. Furthermore, my ex-girlfriend is constantly chasing after me and its getting really annoying. I think she wants me to break up with Ryoma for good. However, I cannot leave that kid because he is too important to me." Added Keigo as he stepped into the control room.

"Keigo-sama, when did you get here? I thought you moved on from your ex-girlfriend." Said Kenya as he poured a cup of tea for the guest while giving him a newspaper to read.

"Thank you, Kenya-sempai. My ex-girlfriend is calling me non-stop and she even tried to stuff food in my tennis bag when I am on my way to school. I already told her that I will eat lunch at school so that she will not waste time packing bento for me. Honestly, I don't know what will keep her off my back. Furthermore, she is going to have a serious talk with my other boyfriend right after he finishes up with Kippei. And frankly, she is against him dating me and wants him to give an explanation." Continued Keigo.

"wow, I see that girl is really getting restless these days. Can't she just take a rain check and forget that this ever happened? After all, "O'chibi is not cheating on you and he would never dump you like this. I am sure that he was named as the bachelor after all. This is probably something that your ex-girlfriend will never understand." Added Gakuto.

"I already told her that, but she refuses to believe me and therefore, she wants to see him in the Hyoutei Academy clubroom later tonight. I can see that she will not rest until Ryoma breaks up with me. What am I going to tell him?" continued Keigo.

"Ryoma will figure out a way to convince your ex-girlfriend that he really does have feelings for you. Furthermore, I am sure he does not want to break up right now because he has not finished his bachelor mission yet. Take a look, it seems that Tachibana is embracing that kid on his chest, we can clearly see that this is an early phase of love between them. Nonetheless, Ryoma knows how to make people fall for him since he will let almost anyone date him." Smiled Kirihara.

Back on the tennis courts, Ryoma was a bit confused as to why Kippei hugged him since he was constantly being embraced by Kikumaru previously. This time, Ryoma didn't know that Tachibana was throwing all of his aloofness and love when they are together. At this point, Kippei was considered to be extremely friendly and even suggestive at times because he held a high regard for the kid and simply just cannot ignore him. So now begins the pursuit of love with Tachibana just like how kamio had done with his sister.

"Okay, you are seriously weird, you know that? But thank you for the ponta. Anyway, where are we meeting up?" asked Ryoma.

"At my house of course! I will be waiting for you at the front steps. Don't be late because I already picked out a suit that we are wearing for the dinner tonight." Continued Kippei.

"Seriously? You are taking me back to your place for our date? I didn't know you were that interested in me." Said ryoma as he blushed.

"don't be shy, I've had my eyes on you since we first met. Besides, you and I both know that I want you safe because you are important to everyone one of us. Anyway though, practice is over, meet me at my house in an hour." Finished Tachibana as he picked up his tennis gear and headed back to the control room.

Back in the control room, everyone had a state of confused looks on their faces and didn't know what to say. However, Sanada jumped in and said, "I've never seen Tachibana act like this before. Who knew he had it in him? I have to say, this is the first time that I have seen a new guy other than Atobe stepping up the plate to date the bachelor. I can see why a flower like Ryoma has bloomed to new heights now since he knows how to handle any date that he encounters. It's like we have seen a different side of him."

"He has grown into a fine young bachelor. We all taught him well over the last several weeks, saa!" smiled Fuji.

"Yeah, but some people still call him a pervert and a stalker." Added Shishido.

"Sure, but he started to overcome those obstacles already and he was not considered a stalker anymore. This time, Kippei is really looking forward to making ryoma his true love since this is a test of their relationship together. I guess he did the right thing by giving ponta to that brat. No wonder he isn't worried about anything. That smart-ass really does have a soft side in his heart." Said the Rokkaku captain.

"Definitely! I can see why he is known as the Capricorn. He may be childish on the inside, nut on the outside, he is very confident in dating people. Now I know why people are making him sign autographs: to make him trying to date anyone that knows him well or just trying to be friends with him in general. What a happy-go Lucky guy!" smiled Sengoku.

"Agreed, I guess we all have to be like him because he taught us everything that we know about finding love and dating altogether. Let's see how well he fares with Tachibana at his house." Finished Choutaro.

As Ryoma walked along the streets, he could see Tachibana hiding behind a set of bushes and smiled. "Come on out. There is no use in hiding from me when I can see you perfectly through the bushes. After all, I am not blind you know?"

"you are one cocky little brat, you know that? Anyway welcome to my home, I see you showed up earlier than I had expected." Said Kippei as he embraced the boy in a tight hug.

"Buchou! I can't breathe! Can you please let go? I am really happy to see you as well!" grunted Ryoma as he struggled to set himself free from Kippei's grasp. Once Kippei released the Seigaku rookie, he leads the kid inside his house to make him more comfortable. Furthermore, Ryoma could see photos of Kippei in his younger years hanging all over the walls.

"This is such a nice place, you look so cute back then in your younger years." Chided Ryoma.

"Oh, thank you. But I was sick of those photos and I did not want to be reminded of my past self. Furthermore, I wanted to burn them because it does not fit my image to keep them hanging. Anyway, would you like something to drink? Water or juice perhaps?" said Tachibana.

"Juice would be ideal. I think. Besides, something is up with you, Tachibana-buchou." Said Ryoma.

"you think so?" Tachibana was twitching a little bit.

"I wouldn't mind if you were turning to be gay just like Atobe, but why are you still pursuing a regular like me? I thought you would be falling for Chitose's little sister or so?"

"Well you are the most ideal person that I can fall in love with. Besides, Chitose asked me to date his sister, but I told him I didn't have the time to do so. Furthermore, I've cancelled practice with the regulars and told them to get back to their usual activities outside of tennis since we are going to spend some time alone for a little bit. Besides, Atobe messaged me and said that his ex-girlfriend will be visiting the next day. Oh, and I am not gay." Finished Tachibana.

"I see, looks like that bitch is going to try and separate me from atobe eh? We will see about that!" grunted Ryoma as he settled down for the day before waiting to see Kippei's parents later on this afternoon. After thirty minutes, Ann arrived home and sees Ryoma on the couch and immediately went into the kitchen to find her brother.

"Oni-chan, what is Ryoma doing here? And when did you start having a thing for a Seigaku Regular?" she asked him.

"I invited him here because Atobe has issues with his ex-girlfriend that has been pestering him day and night since he does not want to get Ryoma involved in their difficult relationship. Furthermore, he broke up with his former girlfriend and chose Ryoma to be his stand-in boyfriend because he also has feelings for that kid. However, it seems that me and Atobe are both in love with Ryoma because we just see him as a perfect bachelor material you know?" said Kippei.

Ann suddenly blushed and smiled at him, "Oni-chan! I didn't know you were gay!"

"Ann, I am not gay, okay? We are just friends, I hope you can understand that."

"Okay, then. It's good to see you, Ryoma-kun! Come on, let me show you my room." She said and grabbed Ryoma's hand to lead him upstairs to her room. Once inside, the room was painted in bright pink and teal colors that fascinated him.

"You really did a number on this room of yours, Ann!" smiled Ryoma.

"My parents feel that a change to my room is necessary because I did not like green that much anymore." Continued Ann.

"I like it a lot, thanks for sharing it with me." Continued Ryoma.

Elsewhere behind the bushes, Kenya, Yuushi, and Gakuto had stunned looks on their faces.

"Holy fuck! Since when did the captain of Fudomine start flirting with that brat from Seigaku? This just doesn't make sense!" said a confused Gakuto.

"Well, if someone has to take the fall for this, it has to be Atobe since we just heard that his other girlfriend is coming to town. I am guessing she is going to make things a lot more difficult for that brat as well. I just can't believe that this is happening. Looks like I need to figure out a way to convince the former girlfriend that Ryoma rightfully belongs to Atobe Keigo."

"How are you going to do that? You know that she will not listen to a word that anyone says at Hyoutei right? Besides, she can easily break Ryoma's heart if he hears about this break-up plan that she is unleashing." Added kenya.

"She still has feelings for Atobe because of the foods that she was making for him. Furthermore, she is going to hit the roof when she finds out that Ryoma has showed his true feelings for the diva. Also, did she used to claim that she had an on and off relationship with your captain and that she wasn't serious about it, Gakuto?"

"She did tell me that too, and she did not want to see him ever again. Then she emerged again with a phone call to tell me that she wanted to get back together with him. I think that hyoutei girl has been stepping out on our captain repeatedly." Said Gakuto.

"I don't get it. Why would a girl from our own school cheat on Atobe and run around with a bunch of lowlives? That's not like her at all! Besides, our lovers could have a field day hearing all of this going on and… Oh Shit! Ryoma is coming downstairs! Hide!" shouted Gakuto.

Ryoma immediately dashed towards the window and checked to see if anyone was outside. "That's funny, I could have sworn I heard Gakuto and the Oshitari cousins talking out here. Maybe it was just my imagination." He thought to himself as he closed the blinds behind him and headed over to the living room to read a book.

The three students outside breathed a sigh of relief that they were not caught by surprise since they know how Kippei feels when there are intruders around here. At this point, they headed back to the control room until the situation was under control. Back at base, Inui immediately handed the trio some water to calm themselves down before talking again. "So, it seems that Ryoma has made it clear that he wants Kippei to show his true love for him, right?"

"It seems to look that way from what we have seen at Kippei's house. I think he really has lost it. Oh boy! Looks like we got two captains that want the same thing for that brat. I wonder how the girlfriend will take this?" said Yuushi.

"She might not really care who ryoma dates, but she will definitely send a warning message to that rookie and telling him to stay away from Atobe for good. I do have a hunch that Ryoma will stay with Atobe for as long as necessary since I am 90 percent sure that the captain won't let go of him no matter how strong their relationship is. I do feel that the girlfriend is pretty much jealous of Keigo the moment he started laying eyes on our O'chibi."

"Koshimae has the charms and good looks to make everyone happy because he didn't cause anyone harm. Furthermore, if that girl does not have a change of heart on that kid, she just isn't going to give him a chance to explain himself and his intentions. If I was in his shoes, I would go with my gut and date both people that have strong feelings for him since he doesn't care who falls in love with him as long as their bonds are strong." Added Kintaro.

"Very good Kintaro! Now you are using your brain. I do believe you know a lot about Ryoma's relationship with the boys since you always follow him around a lot." Said Shiraishi.

"Thank you, but it was a hunch. Furthermore, I would love to see how Ryoma can settle this issue with the girlfriend later this evening." Finished Kintaro.

"Later this evening? I thought the ex-girlfriend wasn't coming until tomorrow." Stated Kenya.

"Looks like Atobe has received a message that his former lover came in a day early and wanted to settle the score once and for all. Also, my senses tell me that Ryoma is on his way to the clubroom now." Added Shishido.

Couldn't this have waited until tomorrow? I mean what the heck was the girlfriend thinking coming all this way just to stop a love affair between Ryoma and Atobe? Furthermore, is she out here looking for blood or is she just trying to break Ochibi's heart? Something tells me that Ryoma would be caught in the line of fire again just like from before, but he knows how to handle this on his own without any help.

By the time Kippei's parents got home, they noticed Ryoma was still here and sat down next to him.

"Hello Ryoma. Looks like our son has started taking quite a shine to you now." Said the mother.

"Its nice to meet you as well. And yes, Kippei sure loves having company around since he knows how to treat people well. I am beginning to think that he has a soft side to him." Added Ryoma.

"Our son is very protective of his teammates and he isn't that strict. He really does care a lot about his friends and will do anything for them, especially you. I am guessing he just loves to do what is right by his team and the friends that he has." Said the father.

"Mom, did you seriously have to tell that to the rookie?" said Tachibana who was red in the face.

"We didn't realize you were madly in love him. I just feel you two make a really cute couple. In fact, I took a photo of you guys hugging together with Ann and I think it will be a perfect remembrance photo to be put on your desk later on." She smiled.

Tachibana didn't know what to say from that response and just sighed in disappointment while his sister laughed like crazy. Just then, Ryoma's phone rang and he immediately stepped into the kitchen to answer it.

"Hello, Tachibana residence, Ryoma speaking." He said into the receiver.

"Hey there my love! So I hope you had fun at Kippei's place. I got a situation that needs to be settled." Said Atobe.

'What is it? Don't tell me your ex-girlfriend is trying to break us up? You know how I feel about her!" protested Ryoma.

"How did you know I had an ex-girlfriend?" asked Keigo.

"Your friends said every single word about her and they feel that this could escalate pretty quickly. Hang on while I take charge of the situation and I am sure she will understand when I tell her that we are secretly dating each other. How did she find out about our relationship together!?" shouted Ryoma.

"She has her sources and I can tell that she is not too happy about it. Anyway, please meet me in the villa clubroom immediately before this gets out of hand." Said Atobe before the line went dead. At that moment, Ryoma immediately finished up dinner and thanked the family for the meal before dashing outside with his tennis equipment.

"Where are you going?" asked Kippei as he walked outside.

"I am heading over to Atobe's clubroom at his villa. It seems that his former girlfriend is back for blood and she is not going to stop until she settles her score with that diva. I think he also called his teammates over, including some of the other schools to his place as well." Said Ryoma.

"Are you serious? Why is Atobe's ex-girlfriend trying to get everyone else involved in his mess? And why is she trying to turn your life upside down when you already agreed to be Atobe's little prince?" asked a confused Tachibana.

"Who knows, but I think if this has something to do with my love for him, I should settle this without any confrontations. But if she does not see through reason, then I guess we have to challenge her to a tennis match to see if she will allow me and Atobe to continue seeing each other. This is the only way for me to get her to understand how you and Atobe really feel about me in general." Continued Ryoma as he signals the butler's limo to take him to the villa.

"Are you coming, Kippei?" asked Ryoma.

"Yeah, sure why not? After all, Atobe had already dragged me into this love affair and it seems that the girl would want me to break up with him as well. I seriously don't get what this girl's issue is right now. But no matter, let's get this over this." Said Kippei as he and Ryoma hopped into the limo and headed off towards Atobe's villa.

As they arrived, Atobe waved at his friends and escorted them inside his house. Furthermore, even some of Atobe's teammates including Seigaku, St. Rudolph. Rikkaidai, and Shitenhouji had arrived as well since they wanted to know the girl's intentions as well. Once ryoma entered the clubroom, he was shocked to see the girl sitting right on Atobe's desk smiling at him.

"So you must be Echizen Ryoma right? The number one bachelor that is dating all the boys from various schools here in japan, eh? Well I don't know what turnip truck you think I fell off from, but don't think for a second that I am going to let you get away with your scheme." said the girl in a very nasty voice.

"Whoa! Hey take it easy girl! We have only just met and you go all ballistic on me? Why don't you take a seat and tell me what's wrong." Said Ryoma as he tries to take the girl's hand and settle her down in a chair, but she refused.

"Take your hands off of me, you filthy two-timing bastard! How dare you put your hands on my boyfriend, you vermin! What gave you the right to date him without my permission!?" she shouted.

"I beg your pardon? I didn't steal your boyfriend, Atobe chose me to be his lover because he thinks I am attractive to him. Besides, we are not really dating each other because we are merely just hanging out as friends okay? Please let me explain." said Ryoma.

Suddenly, the girl exploded and slapped Ryoma with such force, causing him to fall backwards on the ground. Everyone else gasped at what just happened as they rushed forward to try and help their friend. However, the ex-girlfriend continued her assault by punching him in the face when he was defenseless.

"There is nothing for you to explain, you bastard! You should have broke up with Atobe when you had the chance!" shouted the girl.

"Oh really? Well then, bring it on, bitch! Just so you know, I am not breaking up with the diva anytime soon!" shouted ryoma as he immediately grabbed the girl's hand and held it down at his side before slapping her back and pushing her directly against the cabinet wall, leaving her shocked that he could pull off such a stunt like this.

"You are one psychotic freak, you know that?" said the girl nervously.

"What's the matter? Can't take the pain? Well, you've only just begun to experience the hell that I've unleashed for you." warned Ryoma as he hurled more punches and kicks towards the ex-girlfriend, leaving her arms and face battered and bruised. Afterwards, the girl got up and cleaned her wounds up before taking a seat at the desk.

"Wow! For a seigaku regular, you sure know how to fight an out of control girl who cannot control her emotions, ochibi!" smiled Kikumaru.

"This isn't the time to gloat, kikumaru-sempai! You could have stopped her from hitting me!" shouted Ryoma.

"What the hell just happened?" asked Kippei.

"The ex-girlfriend slapped Ryoma and now she is forcing him to leave that deranged lunatic." whispered Kenya.

"Does that include me as well?"

"No, I think you were excluded by that girl since she is more focused on Atobe instead of you." finished Gakuto.

Before the girl could do any more harm to Ryoma, he immediately stared at her and said, "Have you finally controlled yourself? Why did you slap me like that? You should really listen to reason before you deal more damage to me, I would like to tell you that it was all a misunderstanding and I told Atobe many times before that he is just a friend to me and wants to protect me from harm. Is that really hard for you to understand? Also, he took me out to visit several attractions to remember my childhood years since this is just two people hanging out together doing daily activities after school, Am I making this clear to you?"

"Oh…. Then why were you kissing Atobe? I saw you at his house not too long ago. You were sleeping with him right? Well, you won't get away with this! I challenge you to a tennis match right now! If you win, you can do whatever you want with that pompous bastard. If I win, you will never see your beloved boyfriend ever again, is that clear?" said the girl in a stern voice. "Okay, that's quite enough! I will not tolerate fighting in my clubroom! Now then, ma'am, please get your ass out on tennis courts immediately. I want to have a little word with you about your abhorrent behavior." said Atobe sternly as he grabbed his former ex-girlfriend and shoved her out the door. "Fine then! You are so mean and rude Atobe! And as for you, Echizen, don't think this means you are off the hook yet. You still owe me a tennis match!" shouted the girl. But Ryoma only smiled evilly at her and accepted the challenge. Soon, she gave the kid another slap in the face before marching out of the club room, slamming the door behind her.

Everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief after witnessing the chaos that just ensued in the room. As for Atobe, he was shocked and didn't know what to say. But he was more concerned about the injuries that were inflicted on Ryoma and so he immediately grabbed a wet towel and washed the kid's face while Yuushi grabbed an ice pack from the fridge and handed it to Ryoma.

"Are you okay, Ryoma? I am so sorry that she went ballistic on you like that." Said Atobe.

"Nah, don't worry about it. I am sure she didn't mean to hurt me. Maybe she was just too excited and didn't listen to what I told her." Said Ryoma.

"She shouldn't have hurt you like that! And why did she challenge you to a match? Is this a test of true love?" asked Gakuto.

"I believe so. I think she is trying to see if I am worthy enough to date Atobe again. Honestly, why does she want to see my strength? I am beginning to think she is just like my father. Atobe, you should really call off the match before it gets out of hand. You got to talk some sense into that former girlfriend of yours. Please I am begging you." Pleaded Ryoma.

Atobe looked at his lover for a moment and rubbed his face gently. "I am sorry that she went off on you like that, but I can try and teach that bitch a lesson because no one messes with a bachelor like you and gets away with it. Who does she think she is, walking in here and just starts attacking you without listening to your explanations?"

"I don't know, but I have to find a way to convince her that you and I are just friends and not lovers. This match won't take too long." Said Ryoma as he grabbed his tennis racket from the bag and headed towards the tennis courts with the gang following him close behind. As he arrived at the tennis courts, he could already see the girl wearing her tennis gear and prepping herself for the match.

"If you lose this match, Atobe belongs to me!" said the girl.

"Don't count on it, you two-timing bitch! Me and Atobe go way back because we have a strong connection as friends, remember that." Replied Ryoma as he launches the first serve.

There was no way that Ryoma would allow Atobe to leave with that psycho girlfriend.


	21. A New Challenge Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyoutei's First Date
> 
> By: NarutoandBleach
> 
> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use

As everyone arrived at the tennis courts on the grounds of Hyoutei Academy, Ryoma has no idea why he was issued a challenge from a jealous ex-girlfriend that showed up out of nowhere and started slapping the rookie for taking the diva out on a date. Furthermore, even Atobe was stunned and didn't know what was going on with his ex-girlfriend the moment she arrived. At this point, the referee arrived and said, "This will be a 3 game match between Echizen Ryoma of Seigaku and the ex-girlfriend from Hyoutei. Are you both ready? Begin!"

Once Ryoma started serving the ball with his drive B shot, the ex-girlfriend rushed forward to return the serve, but Ryoma had seen what she was doing and used a snake shot to send the ball past the girl and into the wall. Ryoma scored 15 points.

"You think your skills will be enough to defeat me? Atobe still belongs to me you know!" fumed the girl.

"Atobe has no interest in you whatsoever! He called you on the phone and broke off his relationship with you after he found out about your cheating ways. In other words, his heart belongs to me because I understand him better than you do." Replied Ryoma.

"You think you know everything about that pompous jerk? I don't think so! You stole him from me and I want him back! He means the world to me and he cares a lot about me. Now that you took him away, I won't let you get the satisfaction of keeping him as your date!" shouted the girl.

"Who the hell said I was dating him? I only kept him because he wanted someone to talk to and hang out with. Besides, he asked me to call him anytime and we will meet up at a certain location for some fun. What part of that do you not understand, my dear?" continued Ryoma.

At that moment, Atobe immediately got up from his seat and called out, "Brat! You show that bitch just how much our love and friendship means to us. She had no business butting into our relationship because I am never going to date that useless woman ever again! The entire student body here at Hyoutei Academy has full confidence in you. Take that bitch down!"

Soon, yuushi and Kenya had to restrain Atobe immediately before he could cause a ruckus. Once that was done, the blue haired senior asked him, "Dude, are you really dumping that girl for the brat? Just think about all the good times you had with your ex-girlfriend and the places you visited together. What about the foods she prepped for you? Are you really going to throw all of that away and play Mr. Mom with Ryoma? What a waste of life!"

"It's not a waste because Ryoma cares about me. You heard what he said, fellas. After all, what kind of a man would I be if I didn't have a heart? Besides, Ryoma cares deeply for me and would never go anywhere without me." Smiled Atobe.

"You are seriously delusional, you know that?" continued Gakuto. "Ryoma is out there exposing her cheating ways and here you are acting like nothing is happening. Come on now! Where did your feelings for that girl went to?"

"I don't have anything against her, but my feelings for her aren't serious because she went over to Rokkaku middle school and flirted with a big tall blonde and repeatedly took him out on dates. I overheard that Bane mentioned to me on the phone that the tall blonde dude had told a bunch of lousy ass jokes to her at a restaurant not too long ago. Care to explain that, you bitch?"

"He wanted me to take him to the restaurant because he needed a woman to flirt with, you know? Sure he might be weird on the outside, but he is so lonely on the inside and he wanted my comfort. Therefore, I had no other choice but to comply with his wishes." Said the girl nervously.

"You could have told me that on the damn phone and here you are, talking with guys from another school without consulting with me. I consider that to be an insult to our school and I will not tolerate that kind of depravity, not without my approval. Your behavior is totally inexcusable and therefore you and I no longer have a relationship together and thus, we must break up, effective immediately. This is for your own good, so don't even start begging me to get back together with you." Commented Atobe.

"Why do you treat me like this? I thought you and I had a thing for each other and now you have the guts to say we should break up permanently? We are like two peas in a pod, soulmates that trust each other, we are inseparable. Now you are hooked up with this brat instead of me, this is unacceptable!" continued the girl.

"Can we please get on with the game? Your little melodrama is starting to bore me." Groaned Ryoma as he launched the tennis ball straight at the girl with the Gekokujo before regaining control of the field. Everyone was surprised at how well Ryoma had played so far as he took the lead away from his opponent. But the girl was not finished since she still had a few tricks up her sleeve. At this point, Ryoma feels that it was time for him to tell the girl the truth.

"The only reason why Atobe likes me so much is because he treats me as a special friend you know? At first I thought he was joking when he wanted to date me, but then I realized it was real from the get-go. I thought for sure I wanted to reject his offer, but I went along with it anyway because we spent a lot of time doing all sorts of activities together. You can say that he has been my caretaker even though we are not marrying each other. We still see each other frequently for outdoor activities, but other times, he sends me out to date other people that is close to him as well because he feels that if I can warm up with people other than him, I will still be able to become a full-fledged bachelor because in his eyes, he sees me as a person with a penchant to make people happy. He also seems me as a person having so much potential to try and converse with people that I have known for a long time. Besides, Atobe is not the kind of person that would push me to the limit or pressure me because he knows how to make my life easier, and I like him that way. So, whatever you are planning, it will not work because my so called lover can see through your deception and trickery. At this point, do you want to apologize for your irrational behavior?" finished Ryoma.

But the girl refused to listen and continued throwing ball after ball with her tennis racket and Ryoma managed to send them all back as he wins the first set. As the game continued onward, the girl seems to be out of shape as she continued the game, leaving everyone to wonder when they will have a winner.

"Looks like that girl is really not going to let Ryoma steal Atobe away from her, eh? I kind of feel moved by Ryoma's little speech about keigo since he really does care for that narcissistic diva. Who knew that brat had it in him to stand up to that cheating bitch?" smiled Kirihara.

"That girl is making life very difficult for Ryoma right now since he is starting to get a headache from listening to the ex-girlfriend's drama. I just don't get why people like her have to break up a bromance situation like this, this is just not her style. If I was ryoma, I would not date her and I would tell her to take a hike immediately and not come back." Added Sanada.

"That might be good advice, but I don't think the girl is going to listen to him since she will not rest until Atobe comes to his senses and get back together with her. But as Ryoma wins the second set of the tennis match, it is simply putting more pressure on the girl since she is not working to her potential. At this point, the girl decided to forfeit because she has no energy left to continue this match.

"Due to forfeiture from Ryoma's opponent, Ryoma wins the game since the girl cannot continue." Called the referee. At that moment, Ryoma stepped off the court and waved at the crowd, including Atobe since he was moved by the kid's speech and rushed forward to hug him tightly.

"I knew you could do it! My faith in you has not been faltered and my prayers were answered. You really showed that girl who is the boss out there, ahn?" smiled Atobe as he touched the brim of Ryoma's cap.

"I certainly did. She had absolutely no idea what was going on in her mind because she couldn't think straight. Furthermore, her little melodrama isn't going to work on you since the break-up because to me, she needs time to accept us being together." Continued Ryoma as he and Atobe walked back towards the bleachers.

"Wait up!" shouted the girl as she dashed towards the lovebirds.

As Ryoma and Atobe turned and looked at the girl for a moment, he said, "What do you need?"

"You may have beaten me in tennis, but mark my words, I will find a way to bring Atobe back to my side once and for all, just wait!" she boasted.

"Sorry dearie, we had a deal. I am afraid Atobe is not going to get back together with you anytime soon because he has decided to spend more time with me because he feels that you were not supporting his decision to find true love of his own. You were giving him useless advice and I think it was time for Monkey King to move forward from you." Finished Ryoma.

"Brat! Ore-sama demands that you call me the king! Also I have to agree with you that my ex-girlfriend hasn't been of much help to me. I think it's time that I leave her for good and focus on you more since staying with that bitch constantly won't help me at all." Smiled Atobe.

"Why you back-stabbing, two-timing bastard! I thought I had a thing going with you, but you ruined it all for me. Why do you like Echizen Ryoma anyway and is he really that important to you? You really should stop flirting with Echizen and focus on getting your life back together. Give me one good reason why I should let you date Ryoma." Boomed the ex-girlfriend.

Atobe immediately took his girl and held her tightly against his whole body while whispering, "My life is perfectly fine. It isn't your place or business to tell me how to sort my life out. Besides, I can date or see whomever I want to, is that clear? Also, as for me dating ryoma, I don't need a reason to date him; I just happened to find him interesting and full of confidence, is that good enough to convince you? Good. Now then, let's go Ryoma. We're done here." He then grabbed Ryoma's hand and nodded to his teammates to pack up their things before leaving the tennis courts with the other schoolmates. Unfortunately for the girlfriend, she collapsed to the ground and sighed in frustration regarding Atobe leaving her for good. However, Yuushi immediately picked the girl up from the ground and gently patted her on the shoulder. "I am sure Atobe has his reasons to leave you and I am sure he knows you are trying your best to please him. However, he just does not have the time for you right now, I am sure you can understand. Just move on from him and find a new lover, okay?"

"I will try, but seeing Atobe leaving me is just too painful for me right now. I guess he is just not ready to accept my love for him, and I can understand. I would greatly appreciate it if I was left alone for a while." Said the girl sadly.

"I understand, but everything will be all right in the end, okay?" smiled Yuushi.

"Of course, see you guys later!" said the girl as she walked off into the distance with tears in her eyes after learing that Ryoma will still be with Atobe from time to time. However, she turned her frown upside down and smiled. "So, Ryoma seems to have a thing for Atobe eh? I guess he did the right thing playing a game with me, but he really is something else altogether. I think Atobe really did a great job taking care of that brat. Maybe now I can try to understand that kid better without jumping to conclusions since it was wrong of me to attack him."

Back in the clubroom, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and was very impressed with Ryoma's performance at the tennis courts. Furthermore, Atobe high-fived his lover for a job-well done and said, "Honestly brat, I had no idea you could pull off such an amazing stunt like this. Furthermore, my ex-girlfriend has already given me enough problems already without causing a migraine on me. Believe me, I have done all I can to get away from her, but she refuses to leave me be. I just hope that she won't try to lay a hand on you anymore."

"Nah, don't worry about it. But she did give me quite a scare back there. However, you stopped her from trying to attack me any further and I have to commend you for that, Keigo. Besides, your girlfriend was a bit too unstable at the beginning. I just hope that she can be more easy-going next time around instead of using anger and violence. That is just not like her at all." Continued Ryoma.

"You are right about that, but you really have to be careful around her. She is becoming a loose cannon, not that I blame her. Besides, you still have other important matters to attend to, like dating the students from Josei Shonan. I just got a call from Hanamura sensei and she is interested in seeing you date her students. Furthermore, I got a feeling that she wants to make you her masterpiece again." Continued Atobe.

"Monkey king, you know for a fact that I have rejected Hanamura-sensei's offer time and time again and now she wants me to date her students yet again. I don't know what is going on with her, but still, I find her students to be amazing and full of skill. But still, what is up with that Wakato dude? Is he like Sengoku all of a sudden? And since when did he start flirting with the ladies all of a sudden?"

"brat! Anyway, Wakato is the sort of person that just loves to make headlines, you know? His cuteness and strength will eat your little heart-strings so I am sure he is easily approachable. I've played tennis with that guy before and believe me, we flirted with women before but I was unsuccessful at trying to date girls." Continued Atobe.

"Seriously, you went on a head-to-head competition with that arrogant jerk you call a ladies man? What is wrong with you? How come there are so many of these jerks out there trying to date women who are not their types?" protested Shishido.

"Exactly my point, dude! I mean first Atobe dates ryoma and then sets him up on a date with the weirdos at Josei Shonan. Why are these guys acting like weirdos themselves? Come on now!" added Gakuto.

"I would like to see Ryoma having a chance to fit in with the guys at Josei Shonan because if he wants to be like Wakato, then so be it. Besides, I can see why Wakato called Ryoma a special ladies man and would want to take him to dance at a club tonight. Therefore, I arranged Hanamura to pick Ryoma up this evening since I faxed the schedule to her office already." Finished Atobe.

"Dude, Hanamura-sensei can easily turn Ryoma into a lovechild and she is not the kind of woman that will back down from a challenge. At this rate, we have already seen how she is trying to get all the men in her life at cafes and dance halls. None of them have given her any luck. So what makes you think that Ryoma will fall for her this time?" asked Hiyoshi

"You will see soon enough. It's already 5pm now so I assume she is already at the gates. Are you ready ryoma?" asked Atobe.

"As I will ever be." Smiled Ryoma as he changed into his tuxedo and dance shoes to prepare for a night out with his date. As everyone looked at him, Yuushi immediately grabbed a camera from the closet and took a photo to add into his album and cherish it for life. As for shishido and Gakuto, they were surprised that Ryoma had turned into someone else now.

"God almighty! Look at you all dressed up for tonight." Said Shishido indignantly.

"That's why they made me the bachelor, and dating you was just the icing on the cake. Besides though, you and I both know that women will come towards me and would ask me for a dance. However, they need to be certain that I am the person for them and they might ask me to get them drinks and that is the most important thing to do when we are on a date. Believe me, I have seen this process and I would love to do it again with the weirdos at Josei Shonan." Said Ryoma as he embraced his friend tightly.

"Seriously, Ryoma! Knock it off, will you? You are already aware that hanamura sensei can easily recruit you to date her students, right? This is a trap, don't fall for it." Added Shishido.

"Oh, not to worry my friend, I have my ways to impress the ladies tonight, you will see soon enough." Said Ryoma as he dashed outside towards Hanamura's car and said, "I hope your students are ready for tonight's big gala." Said Ryoma.

"Of course, Wakato is waiting for you at the club now. Shall I personally escort you there?" said the woman with her devilish smile.

"You certainly may, my friend. I have been waiting for this for a long time now and I would love to see just how many girls Wakato has truly dated." Added Ryoma.

"You will see soon enough." Continued the woman as they headed off towards the nightclub in downtown Ahikabara. Once there, Ryoma and hanamura stepped out of the car and entered the club. Once there, they could see Wakato talking with a bunch of girls, including Ann from Fudomine and Sakuno from Seigaku. There were also other girls in the club from unknown schools. Youhei and kohei were surprised to see wakato serving drinks to the ladies as he talked with them throughout the night.

"Can you believe this? Wakato sure knows how to pick them. I guess they didn't call him the magazine's hottest lover for nothing." Said Kohei.

"Sure, but you have to remember, Ryoma Echizen is right over there with our teacher and look at that , he even started ordering a drink for her and how did he know that she liked iced tea? Is he psychic?' shouted an excited Yohei.

"I can't say for certain, but I can tell you that he is flirting with the teacher now." Added Kohei.

"So, Hanamura-sensei, I see that Wakato really knows how to talk with women right? How does he do it?" asked Ryoma.

"Well, I trained that kid in the art of dating and I introduced him to a couple of my coworkers at a nearby job not too far from the school and immediately, he started taking a shine to them and at that moment, I was quite shocked and I didn't know how he got into the world of romance these days. Anyway, I think you could be my next bachelor, shall we dance?"

"Sure, before we start though. What kind of music do you like to listen to?" asked Ryoma.

"The smooth rock type of music, and it has been the style that I have gotten used to when I was a kid. Furthermore, my parents also danced this way as well and they wanted me to learn from them." Smiled Hanamura.

"Okay then, let's begin!" smiled Ryoma as he took the teacher's hand and stepped onto the dance floor and began their movements. Soon, the entire crowd flooded the dance floor and followed their movements while Yohei and Kohei couldn't even believe at what they are seeing. Just then, Wakato walked by and saw Ryoma and his teacher dancing together and he too, was shocked.

"Are you kidding me? Look at those two, they are practically dancing machines! I have got to add this to my blog later on." Said Wakato as he immediately took his camera out and started recording. However, Ryoma didn't pay much attention to the camera and kept on going while covering his eyes with a wide smile.

"you know, hanamura-sensei, ever since I laid eyes on you, you are just perfect the way you are. I could never get enough of you today. I thought to myself, if I could date you just like I have done with Atobe, then I am sure the flowers you are getting will convince you to go to the movies with me later on, what do you say?" said Ryoma. At that moment, Hamaura could see that her dance partner was blushing.

"you are so cute and its very sweet of you to say that. I find you attractive as well and I could picture you as my masterpiece. Besides, I can see why coach ryuzaki chose you as her star pupil. She sees a great potential in you that no one else sees, and I can tell that you have a stunning personality as well. Although it is a shame that you ditched Sakuno, but that's okay. I am sure some girls are quite stubborn, but that's the way they are and you cannot convince them too much." Continued Hanamura.

"You really think so? Why thank you! But how will I know which girl is actually my type?"

"well, that's simple. If you see a girl around you, just ask them for their name and shake hands with them. Then ask them if they want to dance or have a few drinks. That is the only way to convince them to like you. But anyway, I should hit the buffet now. I do believe Wakato is looking for you." Said Hanamura as she took her seat back at the table.

"Thank you for a wonderful night, I really appreciate it!" smiled Ryoma as he took a bow and headed over to where Wakato was sitting. As he sipped on the ponta, he noticed the smooth operator approaching him.

"I see you are hitting it off nicely with my teacher, no wonder you are such a lovable devil. You and I both have the charm and good looks together. How would you like to go to the movies with me and my girlfriend tomorrow night?"

"I would love to. I am pretty free this weekend. What movie is your girlfriend interested in seeing?" asked Ryoma.

"We will see what's playing tomorrow night. Don't be late though because there is going to be a lot of traffic. Also, do you want me to pick you up from your house tomorrow night?" asked Wakato.

"Sure, that will work. What time do you want me to meet you?"

"Around 7 o'clock should do it." Finished Wakato as he delivered the note to his friend before taking him to the buffet hall upstairs.

As the gang sat down and ate, Ryoma never felt so good since this is the first time that he tried such a delicious entrée of foods like this. He didn't even know what to say except cheering in delight.

"The foods are so good. I could almost feel my taste buds tingling." Said Ryoma.

"You really do love this stuff, no wonder your parents have taught you the basics of talking with women at a place like this." Said Wakato.

"my old man spends days and nights reading hooker magazines and seeing them in their sexy bikinis. I don't know why he does it, but still I would not want to be in his shoes. Anyway, I have my own ways to get women to like me and speak of the devil, here comes a few now." Said Ryoma as he waved at them.. "Come join me, would you gals like something to drink?"

"We would love to, Echizen-sama! Tell us, how did you get so interested in women?" asked the first girl.

"Well, if you must know, Atobe Keigo has been seeing me on and off because he feels that I am his so called lover and boyfriend. Furthermore, he is sending me out to find the girl of my type because I am thinking of this as a training regiment. In other words, I have to find the girl that is right for me in order to make this date a smooth one." Continued Ryoma.

"Ah, I see. So that's why you were named as the Bachelor. Anyway, looks like the party is calling us for now, shall we see you at the movie theater tomorrow night?" said the girls.

"Sure, meet us tomorrow night at my house around 7 pm. Good luck with the dance." Said Ryoma as he waved at the girls who were heading over to the dance floor.

That night, in the control room, Renji and Inui were watching with such feeling and smiled. "Looks like that kid really knows how to impress the girls out there. It seems that we don't need to teach him what love really means to him since he has it handled. Also, I will admit, that brat really does have a thing with girls."

"How can you tell?" asked Renji.

"Well, from what I have seen, Ryoma and Wakato are both talking with women and young girls at the club and they are asking them to dance and drink with them. Eventually, he really seems to be handling this job pretty well since he is great at following orders." Said Kenya.

"Agreed, Kenya-sempai. I could just imagine ryoma dating a few women from Rikkaidai right now." Smiled Yukimura.

Soon, the students from Rokkaku Middle school showed up at the control room and said, "Well, looks like our friend is really hitting it off with the women tonight huh? Congrats to him, I think he could bond pretty well with the girls at our school later on." Said the leader.

"Ryoma and the ladies, they shouldn't be dancing, they should be in bed sexting each other, "cough" said Davide as he let out a laugh, but soon, Bane immediately kicked Davide and said, "That joke is seriously getting old and it's not funny!"

Everyone in the room laughed at Davide's unfortunate demise and turned their attention towards the cute leader and said, "What are you guys doing here?"

"Well, we overheard that Ryoma has been dating people from various schools and we wanted to know if he has what it takes to date us after he is finished with Josei shonan." Said Saeki.

"Exactly! I haven't seen Ryoma for a long time and I would like to get in on the action as well." Said Kentaro.

"Ahn, so we have more participants for dating women, eh? Well, allow me to assist you on that, said Keigo.

"you must be Keigo Atobe, Ryoma's current boyfriend right? I am vice-captain Saeki and I have been trying to find a girl of my dreams, but so far it has been unsuccessful. How will I be able to get someone to like me just like Echizen does with his girls?"

"If you guys like, please stop by my office tomorrow after school, I will have more information for you there." Said Atobe as he took a seat.

"Wonderful! Thank you so much for your help, kind sir." Said Kisarazu.

"No problems, just be sure to bring pens and pencils to take notes when you arrive tomorrow." Continued Atobe.

Everyone else wasn't sure where Atobe was going with his plan and decided not to interfere. Back at the dance hall, Ryoma and Hanamura were wrapping up the last of their dance moves before heading home for the night. As they gazed at the night sky outside, they can see billions of stars flashing in front of them.

"Such a beautiful night, wouldn't you say?" said Hanamura.

"it sure is, and tonight our prayers has been answered." Said Ryoma.

Just then, the kid could see Atobe sending his lover a text telling him to stay over at Hanamura's hoise for the night and he had no idea what was about to unfold. At that moment, Hanamura immediately took the phone and smiled as she read it. Once the phone was returned to Ryoma, she immediately grabbed the kid by his clothes and kissed him on the mouth.

"What was that for, Hanamura sensei?" said Ryoma as he tried to move back a bit since he was not used to being kissed by a women.

"It is my sign of affection for you." Smiled the coach.

"I really don't feel comfortable kissing someone until they are asked to be kissed." Continued Ryoma.

"Oh, I see. If I have offended you in anyway, please forgive me. I wanted to see if you were actually ready for that."

"It's okay, and I am not sure about that. But anyway, shall we head over to your place?" said Ryoma.

"Sure, and I am more than happy to spend the night with you, my love." Finished Hanamura.

"Atobe and I are the only ones in love here, so don't even try to break us up." Said Ryoma. And away they went towards Hanamura's place since this could be the kid's biggest break ever. However, with Atobe watching from a distance, he smiled and thought to himself. "Have a great time with Hanamura-sensei as I am certain that she is going to make your dream come true. I will love to hear about your progress tomorrow after school. Good luck out there."

The night was still young as the two lovebirds drove off into the distance, but Ryoma was not about to let Atobe win this time until he gets paid handsomely. Besides, Ryoma knows for sure that there are people behind this little scheme and he intends to find out the people behind this scheme. Furthermore, as the kid settled into the car, he has no idea of what the coach from Jyosei Shonan has planned for him at her home


	22. Minor Setbacks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyoutei's First Date
> 
> By: NarutoandBleach
> 
> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.

[A Temporary Setback]

That night, Ryoma was still in complete disbelief as to what just transpired back at the park earlier in the day since he had no idea that Atobe had a lover before. Was this girl an acquaintance or just another one those jilted lovers trying to stop him from dating the diva that he had known for a long time? As ryoma pondered this question, he could see Atobe following him.

"Wait up kid, I can explain everything." Called atobe.

"There is nothing for you to explain, monkey king! You knew this was going to happen!" shouted Ryoma.

"Please don't be mad at me brat! I am sorry that you were caught in the ensuing drama, but please listen to me." Begged Atobe.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a girlfriend? Was this an attempt to throw me off track?" said Ryoma angrily.

"I am so sorry. I didn't know that she would show up out of the blue and interrupt our date like this. You must understand; she and I used to have an on-and-off relationship. But then a few weeks later, I found out that she ran around with a bunch of lowlifes and started seeing other men in her life. Furthermore, she stole my passport and ventured into America without telling me. At first I thought she was going to turn her life around, but then I realized that she was only using that as an excuse to get back at me. I didn't mean to drag you into this mess. Please forgive me." Said Atobe as he held onto Ryoma's shoulder.

Ryoma batted away Atobe's hand before turning around, "So you lied to me in order to try and get back together with her? What is wrong with you? You know how unstable that bitch really is and now she is attempting to try and separate me from you. How could you do this to me? I am your unofficial date!"

"Again, I must apologize for my girlfriend's unruly behavior and my actions. Please just hear me out. I used to know that girl since elementary school and we have been best friends ever since. But by the time middle school came, she started having these delusions and accused me of cheating on her when I did no such thing. Soon, she started sharing evidence of me seeing other women in my life and exposed my privacy. I was so upset after she barged into my room and looked through the photo albums, my diary, and my e-mails since she is tracking my every move. Eventually, I had to kick her out of my house and banish her from my life immediately. Afterwards, I thought I was done with her for good, and then she shows up again for no reason. I mean who the hell does she think she is, coming into my school and starts picking a fight with you? This is not like her at all!" fumed Atobe.

"If you knew that her relationship with you wasn't smooth sailing, why did you get back together with her anyway? She isn't your type like Yuushi said. Furthermore, that crazy bitch is not here to mend fences with you and you know that. There is no excuse for what you guys did and it was totally unprofessional." Finished Ryoma.

"I understand that you are frustrated, but I can make it up to you, I promise. A king never breaks his promises to a bachelor that he cares dearly about. I just want you to know that this will never happen again, okay? Now then, do you want something to eat?" asked Atobe.

Ryoma gave it some thought and nodded since he had to forgive the pompous jerk for trying to cheat on him because he was willing to give his lover another chance. "Defintely, I am so starving right now. I will overlook what happened earlier so that it does not get repeated a second time, do you understand?"

"Of course, a promise is a promise, kid." Smiled Atobe as he pulled the brim of Ryoma's hat down to his head.

"Good, because I don't want to end up as a laughingstock of Japan since it will look really bad on my record. Since this is just a temporary setback, we have to keep that girl out of sight immediately." Finished Ryoma as they headed towards the streets of Akihabara for some Chinese food. As they arrived, they could see the street filled with people attending some sort of a festival and decided to check it out. As they found a place to eat, Ryoma and Atobe sat down and looked at the menu for a bit before ordering noodles and some rice along with beef since this could give the two lovebirds a chance to mend fences together. Elsewhere, Kouhei and Yohei, Yukimura and Sanada, along with Saeki and kentaro were at the Chinese restaurant as well since they were at other tables. But when they saw the two lovebirds, they decided to crowd around Ryoma and Atobe.

"Well, well, this is a pleasant surprise. Looks like you and Atobe had a little argument earlier and now you are back together again, eh? You both are meant for each other." Said Kohei.

"Exactly, you both share a common bond that cannot be broken." Replied Youhei.

Soon, Ryoma could see the other students surrounding him. "What are you identical twins doing here?" he asked.

"We heard about the festival going on here and decided to check it out. Luckily, we ran into you guys and thought this will be a perfect opportunity for us to see if you are worthy to date our coach later on." Said Kohei.

"Oh, I see, but it's really good to see you again, care to join us for dinner? I mean Atobe and I are going to split the bill after wards." Continued Ryoma.

"Oh that's not really necessary." Mused Atobe.

"No, it's fine. After all, you've done a lot for me in the past, so I will return the favor. And also, Kentaro and Saeki, you both have known about me dating atobe for quite some time and I think it's working out for me a lot these days. However, his former girlfriend was here earlier, but we chased her off since she was causing a lot of problems for us." Continued Ryoma.

"Do those guys really have to know about my ex-girlfriend?" hissed Atobe.

"Not in full detail, just briefly." Whispered Ryoma.

"Ryoma-chan! It's so good to see you too! We heard about the fiasco going on earlier and saw the whole tennis match unfolding. You were very strong in defeating that girl and I have to commend you for a job well done. How did you do it?" asked Kentaro.

"Well, I taught him everything he knows since we play tennis a lot during the weekends. Furthermore, he has also mastered the Tannhauser serve as well since he used it against my former lover. I have to admit, this kid really is something else, ahn brat?" he then ruffled Ryoma's hair while he groaned in embarrassment. This wasn't the place to discuss it since he didn't want anyone to know what skills he had mastered so far. But soon, Sanada and Yukimura walked into the conversation as well.

"So, I see you have mastered the tannhauser, huh? Well, don't get too cocky, you still have a long way to go before you beat me." Said Sanada as he embraced the little kid onto his arm.

"That little bro has got potential, no wonder he is so good. Maybe that girl wasn't strong enough to beat him since she didn't show enough skill. At this point, we might have to watch out since Ryoma could give us another match later on in the world cup." Added Yukimira.

"I agree with you guys, Ryoma will do great in the world cup later on if he does defeat you. Besides, my little date here is pretty lucky to have you guys as his friends since we are going to usher in a new era for tennis now and this little kid shall become the tennis legend. Besides, I dated this kid because tennis has been his forte and I will do everything in my power to make him stronger.

"Is that so, Keigo? Well, we shall see if he has the guts to beat me in a match tomorrow morning at the street tennis court. Furthermore, why is Ryoma still in a relationship with you? And where is your girlfriend?" asked Sanada.

"Well, me and that whore no longer have a relationship together after she brutally attacked my date in the clubroom. Luckily, I had to step in to defend him from being assaulted any further because my girl has a tendency to get out of hand and she is unable to control her temper. Therefore, I had to send her back home where she will no longer be a nuisance to us ever again. But seeing as how Ryoma managed to stop my violent ex-girlfriend, he fought hard and managed to stop me from trying to get back together with her and I was very impressed at how well he handled the situation." Continued atobe.

Both boys from Rikkaidai were shocked at what Atobe had said. "Seriously? Did you teach him how to fight back? Are you out of your mind, Ryoma isn't the sort of person that will be able to defend himself because it takes years and patience to learn self-defense. How did he manage to fend off your former girlfriend?" continued sanada.

"Relax bro! I didn't teach him self-defense, he learned it on his own after visiting Hiyoshi at his home a few weeks ago. Furthermore, he entered the dojo and wanted to see if he could learn a few moves to use as a wepon and keep his friends out of harm's way. Luckily, Hiyoshi was more than happy to train that brat and that's how he was able to become a quick study." Finished Atobe.

"Keigo, you are supposed to be dating the brat, not letting him become a demon fighter! But nonetheless, that kid just never gives up and I have a gut feeling that he is going to use what he learned on Byodoin later on. Besides, we have confidence that the kid can pull through during the world cup as long as he has the right motivation. At this point, how long do you plan to keep ryoma-niisama as your date?" continued Yukimura.

"For as long as it's necessary. Besides, we all want this kid to be safe since he is our beloved bachelor and our precious baby." Smiled Atobe.

"Aww, you are too sweet, Atobe-sama! Ryoma is very lucky to be dating you right now and I can see you both make a very cute couple. Besides, I have seen how well you dated the people from Rikkaidai and Fudomine, So, it would be in our best interest to see you dating the girls at our school soon and oh I would love to have your autograph as well since Kentaro was begging me to meet you in person and sure enough, my wish has come true. Now here you are, making out with this diva over here and I can see why he loves you so much." Smiled Kentaro.

Ryoma was embarrassed and didn't know what to say when he saw Kentaro's hands holding him tightly on the shoulders while the twins looked on in disgust.

"What the fuck? Is Kentaro falling for Ryoma?" asked Kouhei.

"It seems that way, given the fact that he just asked that brat for his autograph. And Saeki is over there pouting over nothing. I guess you can say that he is becoming interested in that kid as well since those guys are sweet and cute. In other words, Kentaro and Ryoma are both first year students with so much to give." Added Youhei.

"I see, no wonder Ryoma had so much confidence after beating up Atobe's ex-girlfriend in front of his teammates. He sure is something else altogether." Mused Kouhei.

"He may be cocky and stubborn at times, but he knows how to defend himself and Atobe from that abusive girl whom cheated on the diva for such a long time. I guess, this is payback for what she did." Added Hiroshi.

"When did you get here hiroshi?" asked Kouhei.

"I just stopped by to get a bite to eat and what do I find? Ryoma and Atobe here on a dinner date with other schools joining them. Why wasn't I informed of this? Besides, that brat is going to be dating Hanamura Sensei very soon and he is still after Atobe? Why does this kid always get hooked on just one person and not anyone else?" said Hiroshi.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I sent that brat to date Fudomine and our school and since those were accomplished, he has met a lot of interesting people over a short two month period. Besides, I taught him everything he knows and that kid pretty much seems to be comfortable with dating whomever he pleases." Added Atobe.

At that moment, the twins broke out into obnoxious laughs, especially Hiroshi.

"You and that brat?" he asks while wiping away his tears, "That's so freaking funny!" Ryoma immediately turned red with embarrassment while Atobe tried his best not to laugh.

"You guys promised not to call me that anymore! I mean all I am doing is just visiting my boyfriend and enjoying a nice dinner with him. Besides, the love letters that the diva sent me proves to be true since he has feelings for me. Anyway, Hiroshi, Hanamura sensei still has the date booked for me tomorrow right?" said Ryoma.

"Yes, of course. She is anxious to see you ever since you beat us in the Kanto tournament. Therefore, it is only fair that our coach gets to see you up close and personal since she has a "thing" for you. Make sure you wear something nice and casual for the date tomorrow since you both are going to be going out for drinks and a show. Furthermore, me and the gang will be monitoring your progress and see how it all goes." Continued Hiroshi.

Ryoma wasn't sure where Hiroshi was going with this but decided to accept anyway and looked at his boyfriend with shock and awe.

"Don't look at me, brat! Hanamura is planning to make a masterpiece out of you since I know the twins and Reiji are not your type." Added Atobe.

"How do you know that?" asked Ryoma.

"The data that I got from Inui tells me you are becoming more interested in hanamura because we always see her going shopping for the family. Anyway, you full? Let's go!" said Atobe as he and Ryoma footed the bill and left with their friends.

As Sanada and Yukimura looked back, they smiled at them. "So much for being worried about that brat." Said Sanada while folding his arms.

"That baby brother will never change no matter what we tell him despite how stubborn he is. Oh well, I guess we will see how he does with Hanamura sensei tomorrow." Added Yukimura.

"Our sensei will ensure that the date goes smoothly since she has asked him time and time again to join our school and he refused with politeness. But still, he will still be a baby to all of us. But still, how did our coach become his secret crush? I mean she took him out to a dance not too long ago and now she wants to take him out for drinks tomorrow? Is there a side to Hanamura that we have not seen before?" said Kohei.

"Maybe our coach has become infatuated with that brat because she was probably monitoring his progress with Atobe for several weeks now since she has seen them doing everything by the book. At this rate, it won't be long now before our teacher makes Ryoma a pillar of Josei Shonan." Continued Hiroshi.

"There is a slim chance of that happening, but we shall see." Added Youhei.

~/~

Back at the control room, Kenya and Kintaro were busy reading up on their romance novels while Krauser was facing off in a chess match with Kite since they have made themselves comfortable here with the futons and everything else. Soon, Inui arrived with some new data and decided to gather everyone in the living room for the update.

"What's going on, Sadaharu?" asked Yuushi.

"If you must know, Ryoma eliminated Atobe's ex-girlfriend, are you surprised at that?" said Inui

"Yes, we know, we all saw the match between Ryoma and that abusive witch earlier and he used his own tactics to defeat her. Did you not pay attention to the match?" added Akaya.

"I guess my mind was elsewhere, sorry. But there is a 90 percent chance that Hanamura-sensei would put that kid into her school to see if he has what it takes to beat us in a tennis match later on. To me I think it's a good suggestion since I want Ryoma to fit in with the guys at that school because it is good preparation." Continued Inui.

"Wait a minute, Atobe already asked him to go to Hyoutei and now you want him to go to Jyosei Shonan? What's with you guys? Ryoma can't just go to two schools at the same time you know. If he wants to be strong, I suggest Hyoutei because that school can get the brat to where he needs to be." Said Kenya.

"Finally my cousin agrees with me, thank you!" added Yuushi. "Besides, we are also close friends/brothers with that kid outside of the courts because we have seen how far he has progressed. Furthermore, I am sure Ryoma would probably reject being a master piece even if Hanamura sensei invites him over to your school."

"We shall see about that, won't we?" said the twins with a smirk.

"Yuushi-sempai, what are we going to do? Shall we ask Atobe-sama?" asked Kenya.

"I think he already texted us this message: "Chotto Matteo! I already agreed to let that brat into Hyoutei as long as he dates Hanamura Sensei with drinks. Why would Josei Shonan want Ryoma to be a pillar of their school? Unless Ryoma wants us to help him impress Hanamura, it will be a lot better than having him barging into the school unannounced. Do you all agree?"

After the teams read the message, Yuushi and the others nodded their heads in agreement that now would be a good time to formulate a plan since it is their job to let Ryoma accomplish this next mission in order to see if he can actually get a girl to like him just like he did with Sakuno Ryuzaki. But this time, Ryoma is dealing with a coach that has a penchant to fall in love with almost anyone she meets and the ability to invite just about anyone to her tennis courts for a little practice patch. However, the Seigaku rookie has no idea what he will get himself into for tomorrow.

"I think that is a splendid idea, wouldn't you agree, Renji?" asked Inui.

"I like your way of thinking, Sadaharu. This is a perfect chance for Ryoma to get to know Hamaura a bit better." Said Yanagi

"Wait, you are suggesting to let him understand what a woman sees in him and ensure that he does not get too arrogant right?" implied Shishido.

"Yup, and letting him act like a true gentleman to her as well." Added Gakuto.

"That's the perfect reason why Atobe and I came up with the matchmaking pair for that cute baby freshman." Smiled Fuji angelically.

"Whatever you guys are planning, I have a feeling it is not going to work because I never wanted this to happen." Said Ryoma as he entered the room.

"When did you get here? I thought you would be asleep by now?" asked Kenya.

"Can't sleep with that entire ruckus going on here, but anyway are you suggesting I should get flowers for Hanamura? I mean she is married of course. I don't know if the flowers I give her will be of some help." Stated Ryoma.

"Of course it will, and I am sure she has kids of her own since it is mother's day. Flowers are essential to make her happy with drinks and flowers. Oh, we will also be watching you from afar and monitor your progress, puri!" said Niou.

"WHAT? You're kidding me right? Are you all stalking me or something?" shouted Ryoma.

"I wouldn't call it stalking, the microphone that we put in your ear will let us guide you through on this date with Hanamura, so don't screw this up! Furthermore, I also asked Shiraishi and Kenya to rotate shifts in between so that you don't go too far with her." Added Atobe.

"You dated me repeatedly and now you want me to show Hanamura sensei a good time? Why do these things always have to happen to me?" said an indignant Ryoma.

"We made you the bachelor, so you are going to have to deal with it whether you like it or not. Besides, if we know hanamura-sensei very well so should you since she also has a thing for you. These flowers are good enough. Do you know what this flower is?" asked Yukimura.

"They are camellias, which means adorable. Wait a minute; are you trying to tell me to say that Hanamura is adorable? Give me a break, I am not really her type! Are you sure she has to accept the flowers as a token of my appreciation?" asked Ryoma.

"Of course, that's part of the date you know? Go for it, brat! She will be more than happy to have a drink with you. Just follow our instructions when you head to the tennis courts tomorrow afternoon after all the regulars leave for the day." Said Eiji.

Ryoma had no idea what he was about to get himself into but decided to follow through on the instructions anyway. At this point he returned to his room and went to bed. By the next morning, the crew had their usual routines while Ryoma was out to get flowers from his cousin's place. Once he arrived, he could see Nanako giving Ryoma his breakfast. Once he ate it, he asked, "I hope you got some camellias for sale since I am planning to give it to a special person today."

"Oh really? Who is your new date? It's got to be Sakuno, right?" asked Nanako

"No, it's not her. It's a coach from Josei Shonan since she has the ability to make people her masterpiece. They call her hanamura because she sees potential in me and wants me to go to that school to become a pro tennis player. However, I wanted to reject the offer since I am only going to take her out for a drink and give her the flowers as a first impression rose so that I can get to know her better. Besides, this will be my chance to show my good side." Smiled Ryoma as he took the flowers and left in a hurry.

As Nanako looked back at her cousin, she waved at him and thought, "That kid really is something else altogether sending flowers to a coach that he has never met before. He is so good at giving things to those that he cares deeply about."

Just then, a car rolled by and to Ryoma's surprise, it was Hanamura sensei and she waved at him. "Do you need a ride to Josei Shonan?"

"Thanks Hanamura-sensei, but I thought I would rather take the subway and…" but he was cut off by the coach.

"It's not necessary! Get in; I am sure my students are really anxious to meet you. By the way, nice flowers. Are they for me?" asked the coach.

"Yes actually they are. But I was hoping that after school was over I will be able to hand it to you. Anyway though, it's so nice to finally meet you at last. Furthermore, after that little fiasco yesterday from Atobe's ex-girlfriend, I was able to clear my mind from her unpleasant intrusion at Hyoutei. So what's new with you?"

"Well nothing much since I am just preparing the new first year rookies with some basic training on tennis, and you?"

"The usual of course. My friends are making me work hard to impress the ladies and now I have to take you out for a little drink tonight. Are you free?" asked Ryoma.

"Sure, I got time tonight since I don't have much to do anyway." Smiled Hanamura as they arrived at the school. Elsewhere, Ryoma didn't notice that his sempai-tachis were watching from somewhere inside the school grounds and shrugged it off. As he entered, he could see the twins, Reiji, Wakato, among others since they are busy having matches. But as they saw Ryoma, they approached him with their friendly ways.

"Hello guys. What's up?" asked Ryoma. Soon, he could hear his earpiece blaring. "Hey! I thought we told you to meet with Hanamura sensei only. Why are you talking with her students?" said Gakuto.

"It couldn't hurt to talk to them since they invited me over here anyway." Continued Ryoma.

"So you are going to join them?" asked the enbu tennis player.

"No, not yet, I don't plan to join them until the time is right." Said Ryoma as he disconnected the call.

After that little talk, Ryoma turned his attention to the students as they asked him, "What are you doing here? I thought you had tennis practice today?" asked Hiroshi.

"Nah, coach Ryuzaki is off for today since Sakuno wanted to shop with her for mother's day. So therefore, I was taken out of practice since my teammates are somewhere shopping for their mothers as well. So I decided to spend an entire afternoon with Hanamura later on."

"Was this Atobe's idea?" asked Kohei.

"I suppose so. After all, he still called me the bachelor and wanted to make sure that I follow instructions closely. So think of it as a date between me and your coach." Smiled Ryoma.

Suddenly, reiji started laughing like crazy and a short guy with sunglasses followed suit. "you!? Dating hanamura? No way! There is no way that she would be falling for a brat like you!"

"Oh really? How do you explain the camellia flowers that ryoma got for me? I think he is such a sweet guy and I do believe I just won his heart today. Anyway, you guys are dismissed for the day because I have to do some shopping for my family." Said the coach.

Every one of the students from Josei Shonan jaw-dropped at that response and said, "Are you serious coach? What about our upcoming match with Rikkaidai?" asked the twins.

"Exactly, and I haven't had my match with that cute girl from Fudomine yet either." Added Hiroshi.

"Sorry guys, but right now Ryoma and I must get on our date. See you after Mother's day!" said Hanamura as she grabs the kid by his hand and rushed out of the school. Everyone had looks of awe in their faces and some were confused as to what just happened.

"Wow…. Did our coach really fell for that kid from Seigaku?" asked Reiji.

"They called him mr. Popular since he has been gaining a lot of attention from all the schools Howver, this is only a minor setback so we will not worry about it. At this point, we need to get Ryoma away from our coach before she causes a huge disruption throughout other schools.

"that might not be necessary guys." Said a familiar voice from above the trees.

"Who is over there? You know we do not allow intruders to barge in without permission." Shouted the tall guy.

"My name is Echizen Ryoga and I am Ryoma's adoptive big brother. I am here to oversee him succeed on his date with your coach and I do not want to hear any complaints from you guys. Beisdes, I am sure Hanamura-sensei will take good care of my little chibisuke since she is a mother as well." Said the elder echizen.

"Wait, are you sure about this? Since when did our coach have a thing for that brat? You got to be shitting me." Said Reiji.

"Well, it seems that she and Wakato have been seeing each other for a long time now since she always takes him out on a lot of dates. This is actually her first date with ryoma since Atobe wanted him to get to know her better and spend more time with her. So it shouldn't be that bad. Just let them do their thing." Said Youhei.

They didn't know what else to say and decided to let this date take place. Back in the control room, Momo and Eiji had looks of "holy Shit" from their faces before laughing sniggering like crazy while Krauser pretended not to notice. Elsewhere, Tachibana Kippei and Akira Kamio were puzzled by what Ryoma had done.

"For real? Did he just took Hanamura out on his first date?" stated kamio.

"Yep, that brat really knows how to follow instructions well and it seems that we got a winner on our side." Said Atobe.

"Wait a minute, this whole thing was your idea? What's the deal?" asked Kirihara.

"well, if he could successfully date all the students from various schools, he will have no problems with the coaches. But I cannot have him date the fat ass coach from Higa Middle school since he is far too strict. Therefore I am only assigning that brat to coaches that can be nicer to him." Said Atobe smugly.

"I heard that Atobe! What about our coach?" said Kite as he vein popped.

"never mind that now guys. It seems that Ryoma and Hanamura have arrived at their destination and look, he is ordering a fancy alcohol free drink for his date. How did he know that she likes non-alcoholic beverages?" asked a shocked Shishido.

"Well, from the looks of things, Ryoma must have memorized the entire menu and I am certain that he has drinks of his own. And look, she even took the flowers and is…." Before yuushi could finish his sentence, he got the shock of his life as he watched Hanamura kissing Ryoma on the cheeks. Soon, everyone in the room went from dead silent to "What the fuck just happened" looks on their faces.

"Did she just kiss o'chibi?" asked Momo.

"She certainly did, and I do believe she really loves the flowers too." Finished Jirou.

"Well, looks like our little guidance has helped that brat to bloom gracefully. No wonder he has a thing for girls and women." Smiled Yukimura.

"That kid sure is something else, and I am guessing that he is 90 percent certain that Hanamura is adorable and lovable. Just watch." Continued Inui.

Back at the restaurant, Ryoma immediately freed himself from Hanamura's lips and said, "Wow, that was kind of unexpected. But what did you do that for?"

"Well, the only reason why I kissed you was to see if you had any opinions about me." Contined the coach.

"I got no objections, but you are really adorable, you know that?" said Ryoma with an embarrassed look on his face.

"aww, do you really mean that? You know that is the first sweet phrase that you've said so far on this date. I really like you as well and we could spend our entire day together. Also, thank you very much for the flowers, you just made this coach and a mother very happy today." Smiled Hanamura as she embraced the boy in a tight hug.

"you are very welcome, and I think this will be a memorable date together for the two of us. But I swear, I have to spike the drinks for my sempais after this is over." Finished Ryoma.

"Now, I am sure that is overkill, but they care about you a lot. So it would be wise not to piss them off. Anyway, what would you like to eat?"

"anything is fine, I am glad that you and I could spend an entire day together." Said Ryoma.

"me too, and I thank you for coming as well. Besides, I am going to make you a part of my masterpiece and the offer of you joining our school is still up for grabs Want to consider it?" Finished Hanamura.

"We will see, but right now I don't know what my future holds yet if I attend Josei Shonan." Contined Ryoma.

"Don't worry, you've got plenty of time to think about it. Now then, shall we start eating?" said Hanamura.

This date might turn out to be a success after all the setbacks that have occurred so far.


	23. Night and Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyoutei's First Date
> 
> By: NarutoandBleach
> 
> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.

[Night and Day]

If you remember in the last chapter, Atobe already confessed to leaving his ex-girlfriend for good and decided to keep his current lover so that he can have him do more tasks ahead. For now, Ryoma is having his one-on-one time with Hanamura Sensei in order to fulfill his goal to date women. At this point, he has taken an interest in girls since many of them are planning to become the cheerleaders for him during the world cup since he is not too worried about the whole thing. Right now, Ryoma is currently having lunch with Hanamura-sensei while the others are observing from the control room.

"Let's eat then. You decide on a place that is your favorite." Said Ryoma as he leads the way towards the streets.

"Certainly, I will make you my masterpiece after all." Smiled Hanamura.

"Not really, I will still be at hyoutei after this." Said Ryoma as he crossed his arms.

"But you will fit perfectly well at Jyosei Shonan. Trust me, I plan to make you a top competitior for the world cup and not even your own teammates will defeat you with the skill sets that you have for the near future. Trust me; I know what works for you. Right now, focus on lunch here at this fancy restaurant that I sometimes go to, known as the Seigaku Restaurant. Your friends sometimes eat there and it is one of my favorite places. Besides, I've seen a couple of great chefs there making our lunches now." Continued Hanamura

"Have you been there before? How do you know it's the best?" asked a surprised Ryoma.

"Of course, and I can prove it is the best. Follow me!" said Hanamura as she took Ryoma's hand and headed over to the restaurant/hotel area where a waiter leads them towards the table. But as Ryoma looks at the waiter, he recognizes him immediately as Kazuya Tokugawa. However, as he sat down at the table, he and hanamura started off on juice and water since they were pretty thirsty. Furthermore, ryoma didn't know that his fellow classmates are currently working here trying to earn decent pay since it was a surprise to find them here.

As Ryoma got up, he approached Tokugawa and said, "What are you doing here? I thought you were prepping for the world cup, what brings you here at the restaurant?"

"What am I doing here? I work here after all. Besides, Oni Jujiroh and Irie Kanata are also co-owners of the restaurant that we opened up in town. Therefore, it is in our best interest that you enjoy the foods here, Echizen Ryoma. Furthermore, Ryoga sees you as his brother, but you are going to be my little brother from now on and I understand you are still dating atobe. But why are you dating Hanamura?" said Tokugawa.

"Hanamura invited me here on a lunch date at the request of Atobe since he wants me to date as many girls as possible, excluding my own coach. Besides, I wanted to know what she sees in me." Continued Ryoma.

As Hanamura tapped her chin, she remembers that Ryoma was shy and didn't have much interaction with girls his age and decides that this is her chance to show that kid what women really want from men. In other words, the coach is planning to show that kid to take his mind off the guys for a while and focus on the girls because girls like men more because of their good looks and what not. Therefore, it is Ryoma's turn to give his opinion on what he thinks of women and girls in general. As irie watched from the kitchen, he smiled at the kid and the coach from Josei shonan who are sitting across from each other having their romantic lunch together since they do make a cute couple.

"Look at those two, Tokugawa. Don't you think you could be a great brother to that kid? I am sure he needs you there for him if he wants to continue dating people. You always wanted a brother like Ryoma right?" asked Irie.

"Yes, but when I started developing a rivalry with Ryoga, we both shared the same personal feelings about Ryoma and we both fought for brotherly love with that brat. However, we couldn't decide on who won in that tennis match at the U-17 camp and so we decided to share Ryoma amongst ourselves. At this point me and Ryoga could teach him a few things about love and we chose Atobe to guide him through it since he is a perfect person to date him because we feel that the king of Hyoutei can ensure love will happen for our Chibisuke." Said Tokugawa as he prepped food for the two guests.

Jujiroh was shocked. "You mean you guys set up that date between Ryoma and Atobe? Honestly, are you trying to get that kid to have feelings for that obnoxious diva from Hyoutei? Do you know the sort of trouble you could get yourself into?"

"No trouble at all, I wanted to see if that kid was able to pass my test and surprisingly, he did pretty well for a beginner. I taught him well since he knows how to make people happy." Said Kazuya as he smuged.

So this whole thing was Kazuya's idea? How did he get involved in Ryoma's love life anyway? Unless that guy has personally asked Atobe with a simple phone call to let him take that kid out for a good time? Wow, since when did Kazuya started fantasizing himself with those two lovebirds? He has not found a girlfriend in a long time and now he starts butting into Ryoma's love affairs?

"Come on dude! You need to find love soon or else you will never be like Ryoga Echizen. Besides, why are you helping Ryoma anyway?" asked Kite.

"A big brother has to help an underclassman somehow right? After all, if I am going to make that kid my brother, he has to listen to my advice because only I can get him to fall in love with the people he likes the most. I told Atobe to date him because I feel only he can guide him towards finding true love and it seems to me that he has succeeded in doing so. Furthermore, by letting Ryoma staying with keigo, I feel only he can ensure the kid is safe and sound.

Elsewhere, two students from St. Rudolph and two from Rikkaidai listened curiously at the conversation coming from the kitchen and they were shocked at what just transpired in the kitchen area. But as Mizuki sipped on his tea, he pulled yuuta closer towards him and placed his arm around the younger brother's shoulder before talking. "You hear that? It was definitely that high school kid who put Ryoma up for a date with that diva from Hyoutei. I can't even believe he would pull off something like this since he and Ryoma are just friends. How can they be brothers?"

"You are right, Mizuki-sempai. This is the first that I heard Kazuya admitting his involvement with that kid. At first I don't want to believe it either, but now it's true. Kazuya definitely likes to meddle in other people's affairs. Although a lot of people are too curious for their own goods, no one seems to have a problem with that brat's relationships around men despite nagging him so much. At this rate, who knows how many other girls he is going to pick up?" added yuuta.

"My data shows that there is a 50 percent chance that Ryoma will ask Hanamura to share drinks together. It seems that they are already hitting it off. I also gathered that he is going to be going to Josei Shonan soon to become a professional tennis player right?" continued Mizuki.

"Unfortunately, Ryoma denied those claims and decided that he must remain at Hyoutei because he feels the training over there can give him a chance to succeed in the world cup later on. I knew that kid was smart enough to reject Hanamura's offer, but taking her out on a date at the request of his other boyfriend? That is certainly new." Said Jackal.

"Jackal-sempai, Ryoma has refused a lot of offers in the past, but he chose to be at Hyoutei because he feels better working under the leadership of Atobe-sama. Besides, that kid has guts wanting an actual relationship and even Sanada turned him down. However, the way that he gets all possessive and clingy is cute." Added Marui

"So? What is he going to say when Hanamura stops dating him?" asked Yuuta

"He will get over that, and if not, there are plenty of other women whom will be more than happy to date him since he will know the truth soon enough. Besides, he has surpassed other people as bachelors and will require other people to keep an eye on him from time to time until he can finally carry on the missions on his own. This is not that hard for him to do since he knows how to handle men on his own. I think fuji Syusuke told him that a while back." Continued Mizuki.

"I see, so that brat seems confident in dating Hanamura-sensei. I guess we can leave him to it." Finished Yuuta as they continued watching from their table.

Back at the control rooms, kenya was busy playing chess with his cousin while Inui was busy making his concoctions for Fuji and Yukimura while Atobe was busy monitoring Ryoma's progress. To him, he was pretty impressed at how well the brat handled this date.

"My little baby seems to know what he is doing. Furthermore, Hanamura really seems to be in love with that guy because we all did the right thing setting him up on a date like this." Smiled Atobe.

"If what Tokugawa said is true, you both were in on this together? How is that possible?" asked Kenya.

"Well, I called up Tokugawa after he finished tennis practice and asked him if he could do me a favor of setting up a date between me and Ryoma. He agreed and wanted to meet me at my villa. Once there, he gave me specific instructions to let that brat meet me in the Hyoutei school grounds once I sent him that text message." Said Atobe

Flashback

"Dear Ryoma, please meet me at the grounds of Hyoutei academy because I have something special planned for you since we are going on a date together. Meet me here." –Atobe

"What is it O'chibi?" asked Kikumaru.

"Looks like Atobe wants to date me, but why? What does he see in me?" asked Ryoma.

 

Everyone else had shocked looks on their faces, especially Oishi since he saw the whole message on the kid's phone and said, "It seems that you have a boyfriend from Hyoutei Academy. Looks like he is really interested in you. I think you should take the date because who knows, that guy might propose to you later on."

"It's nothing like that, Oishi-sempai! Me and Atobe are just friends, okay?" protested Ryoma as he blushed furiously, leaving many of the other teammates to laugh at him. How was this funny to them when the kid didn't know why he is dating a guy from Hyoutei? Futhermore, how does Atobe know a lot about that kid and what school he goes to? This time, Ryoma has to get to the bottom of this immediately.

End flashback

"So, it was a simple text message that brought you guys together thanks to Tokugawa. Dude, you got a wild imagination but there is no way in hell that will work now. How do you even know that Ryoma will fall for you this time around?" asked a confused Gakuto.

"You will see soon enough, my friend. Right now, Ryoma and Hanamura have just ordered their lunch and they are about to eat. Also, it's a good thing that I sent the students to keep an eye on them just in case if anything should go wrong." Added Atobe.

"Are you serious, you sent in a few bodyguards to spy on their date? What if Ryoma finds out about your plans?" asked Yuushi.

"Don't worry, he is already aware of them, but he doesn't seem to care as long as he stays at Hyoutei in order to become a professional tennis player. Besides, he already dated Jackal and Marui so Yuuta and Mizuki feels that if they get dated next, its fine with me. After all he is still the bachelor, no?" shrugged Atobe.

Everyone else had confused looks on their faces, but Shishido was still pissed off. "Keigo, if that little monster ends up being called a pervert, not that I am saying it could possibly happen, but he could end up in trouble with the law here. Do you realize that he has been sent to the lion's den?"

"There is nothing wrong with dating people of the opposite sex, especially a hot chick like Hanamura. Besides, I am sure she has her reasons for dating that kid. Just keep watching, you will know soon enough." Continued atobe.

Shishido looked at his senior for a moment and went back to his seat without uttering a word. Back at the restaurant, Ryoma raised his glass cup and said, "This is to our beautiful date together and I propose a toast to you."

"Right back at you, my friend. Besides, I wanted to thank you for the flowers as well. You look a lot like my husband who always sends me flowers when we were married. This time, I should really consider you as my secret boyfriend for now because you're my secret weapon to shape up the first year students at Josei Shonan because those guys are having a lot of trouble picking up balls and hitting them. So I just need you to be a temporary assistant coach if that is okay with you." Added Hanamura

"Sure, I could do that and besides, just like what I did at Hyoutei, I will do the same with your school first thing on Monday if I have proper guidance. After all, Mizuki-sempai nearly persuaded Kaido to go to St. Rudolph and he ended up rejecting the offer and decided to stay at Seigaku instead. So, if I help your school to become better tennis players, I might find my own way to become a pro later on, if you agree with that decision." Said Ryoma

"I respect your decision of not joining our school officially, but I am happy that you will help my students on Monday. I will be by at your house to pick you up and we will go from there, what do you say?" asked Hanamura.

"Sure thing, and I highly appreciate it a lot. Also, I want to thank you for a lovely lunch date." Smiled Ryoma as he shook the coach's hand.

"Hey, no problems. We will gladly do this again in the near future. Would you also care to do some shopping with me? My family is currently somewhere trying to give me some souvenirs and I want you to buy some things for me that are not expensive for them in return." Continued Hanamura.

"Sure, I got time. Also, Mizuki-sempai, were you watching me from before?" asked Ryoma

"We just stopped by for some lunch, and I heard that kazuya Tokugawa has helped you greatly." He replied.

"Really? So Atobe had some assistance from the high-schoolers? Well then, I have to thank my big brother personally after I finish shopping. Does anyone else know about what he was up to?"

"Nope, just us. But I am sure Yuuta would also like to go shopping with you guys because he really wanted to get something for his big brother after all the help he has gotten in tennis." Added Mizuki.

"Cut it out, will you? I only wanted to repay the debt back to Aniki because he knows me very well. So don't get on his bad side or else." Warned Yuuta.

"Sure, whatever. But if I know Fuji Syusuke, he can be annoying at times, but he does care about you a lot so be sure to get him something that he really likes. Good luck out there!" said Mizuki as he gently patted Yuuta's back before pushing him out of the restaurant. As he followed Ryoma and Hanamura t the store, he could see his big brother and Shiraishi in aisle 2 looking for seeds to water their plants in school. As the gang waved at them, the duo split up and took their companions into separate aisles for a little chat while Hanamura searched for the present.

"What are you doing here, Shiraishi-sempai?" asked Ryoma.

"I was about to ask you the same thing, Ryoma. I saw you and Hanamura hitting it off at the restaurant earlier and I have to say, you really have learned how to pick up women these days. How do you do it?" asked Shiraishi.

"Excuse me? I didn't say I was picking up women. Hanamura only asked me to date her because she wants me to do some shopping for her family. Besides, Kazuya and Atobe planned this together because they feel that I need to spend more time with the ladies instead of just men. Also, Hanamura treated me to lunch earlier and I thanked her for that because she is asking me to train her students for the week ahead." Said Ryoma.

"No way! Are you really going to Josei Shonan? If so, then you should watch out for those cheerleaders since they are obsessed with Wakato Hiroshi. Who knows what those girls see in him and I don't know what makes that guy so popular. Furthermore, when I played a match with him, his changes in personality really creeped me out and there was no way I would ever play him in the near future." Added Shiraishi.

"Of course, I will keep my eyes peeled. Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"Me and Syusuke are shopping for some seeds in order to water our garden. Our flowers are nearly dead and we need seeds and water to ensure they stay healthy again so that the bugs don't chew them up. What about you?" asked Shiraishi,

"well, Hanamura wants me to buy her family some inexpensive items since I know her kids love to play legos and fly kites all day. However, I think they love video games too so I will try to get them a few of their favorites." Said Ryoma as he picked up a few from the game section before meeting the coach. Anyway, I hope your plants can stay healthy, let me know how the seeds work out. Catch you later, Shiraishi!" said Ryoma as he headed towards the clothing aisle.

Once Hanamura and Ryoma finished their shopping, they both headed back towards their homes, but not before Ryoma handed the teacher the stuff he bought for her family. "I wanted to thank you for a good time that we spent together and I hope we can do it again in the near future." Smiled Ryoma as he bowed at the coach.

"Sure, no problems. It was my pleasure hanging out with you and showing you a good time. Oh, by the way, Yukimura and Sanada are here to take you back home. I hope you will be able to tell them everything that we did together." Winked Hanamura as she drove off into the distance towards her home. As Ryoma waved back, Yukimura and his vice-captain took the kid into the park and said, "So, how did your date go with that coach?"

"It was magnificent. The foods were really good too." Said Ryoma.

"Glad to hear it, and also did you meet up with anyone at the restaurant, brat?" asked Sanada..

"I saw Kazuya Tokugawa and two of his classmates working there since it's a part of their job to help the community. I have a feeling that Kazuya was the one that asked me to date atobe because as his little brother, he wants me to see what it is really like to actually date people in public. I knew something was up after I got the text on my phone, but I never knew that these high-schoolers would join in the fray. At first, I wanted to tell them that me and Atobe are just friends since they really need to lay off from the Romance Movies. At that moment, I feel that listening to those guys would give me a chance to open up to girls more later on."

The guys looked at him and were surprised. "Are you sure Tokugawa put you up to this, little bro?" asked Yukimura.

"Yup, he is one of the strangest person I have ever met at the U-17 camp. Here I thought he was going to be rough on me, but then I realized that he really is a sweet guy who cares a lot about the underclassmen. I have never been to his home before, but it seems that he really has taken an interest in my love life. At first, I didn't approve of what he was doing, but then I realized that the high school students are really proving to be useful after all and therefore, I took it upon myself to trust kazuya because he is really like a big brother to me." Said Ryoma.

"Well, we are very impressed that you have successfully dated Hanamura, but shall we take you back into the house? Your family wants you home before dinner starts." Said the two Rikkaidai seniors.

"Sure, please guide me, and I thank you guys for your help." Said Ryoma. As the three boarded the subway back to Tokyo, Ryoma headed towards the opposite direction to his house while his teammates returned to the control room a few houses down. Once ryoma entered the house, he could see his father standing near the staircase smiling at him.

"So, I heard you are dating a coach from another school. You are really getting popular with the ladies, haven't you? I am proud of you son." Smiled Nanjiro.

"Well, we didn't actually make the date official, we just hung out at the restaurant and did a little shopping since she really wanted to meet me in person. I feel that coach Ryuzaki has developed a sense of rivalry with that woman ever since we had the match with the tennis regulars from Josei Shonan. Therefore, in order to repay my gratitude, hanamura took me to a fancy restaurant where some middle and high school kids were working. I really liked that place and it just brings back childhood memories."

"Why? She is your girlfriend, you need to admit your feelings to her, brat! Why did you reject her offer of joining her school?" asked a nonplussed Nanjiro.

"She is not my girlfriend! If you must know, she is married and has a family of her own, I don't want to ruin their relationship because I am just a friend to her." Protested Ryoma.

"Oh, I see. You are too afraid to admit your love for hanamura and decided to cheat on her?" continued Nanjiro.

"What are you getting at oya-ji? We do not have an intimate relationship. Only Atobe and I still have feelings for each other and that is that. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to wash up and take a little nap since I had a long day. Call me when dinner is ready." Said Ryoma as he dashed upstairs into his room and closed the door behind him. As nanjiro sighed with a smug on his face, he thought to himself, "My kid is really becoming a lot more mature now since he really knows how to impress women. I guess, it really runs in the family. I think I made the right choice in letting him stay at Hyoutei because he has some awesome friends to support him."

A few hours later, Ryoma took his seat at the table and started eating his dinner without uttering a word. But soon, Nanjiro looked at his son for a moment and said, "you know kid, when I was your age, I almost dated Sumiere Ryuzaki because she really is hot. However, she turned me down and feels that I was not her type. Therefore, I took it upon myself to marry someone that could take care of the house. Afterwards, I feel that I really need to start dating people again soon."

Ryoma immediately choked on his food while his cousin gently patted his back in order to let him breathe slowly. Once the kid recovered after a drink of water, he turned to his father and said, "you're kidding right?"

"Why would I lie to you? Me and Ryuzaki go way back and she taught me the sport of tennis. Therefore, I feel that she and I could meet somewhere tomorrow and spend some quality time together. Are you interested in helping us get our love connection back?" said Nanjiro.

"No, thanks. I think you and the coach have got this handled. Anyway, I need to head back to the control room, my friends are waiting for me since they want to hear my results today. I will see you guys later!" said Ryoma as he packed up his tennis equipment and left the house after feeding Karupin. Once the kid left, his father turned his attention on the magazines since those books are going to make him famous someday. But as nanako looked at her uncle, she immediately took the books away and wanted him to focus more on the family instead of hot chicks.

"Why are you trying to make me not fall in love again? Give me the books back!" protested Nanjiro.

"Stop reading them and focus on the family you pervert! Besides, these magazines are messing up your head! Take some time off from reading and start jogging will you?" said nanako.

"You're right, maybe I haven't been outside for too long, thanks for reminding me." And with that he left the house after eating since this is his chance to focus his mind on other things because Nanjiro feels that he needs to contribute to the family more if he wants to support Ryoma's decision of staying at Hyotei. After Ryoma wrapped up his lunch date with Hanamura, he thanked her for a good time and bowed before heading off towards the control room where his friends are waiting to hear how it had gone so far because this kid had so much to tell to his friends. Furthermore, it seems Ryoma has developed a bond with Hanamura even though it is not official.

Back at the control room, Ryoma took his seat at the table with the other students and said, "I am sure you want me to tell you my business with the coach from Josei Shonan right?"

"Yes, of course! We want to know everything that you have done with her today. Furthermore, we also wanted to know what your connection is with that school." Stated Krauser.

Ryoma took his position at the front center desk and paused for a moment to regain his composure before speaking since this is his chance to tell the gang about his plans since they could either get shocked at what he had done. But Ryoma wasn't nervous since he wants to ensure that he gets praises afterwards since there is a slight chance that Keigo has something else planned for that kid later on.

What will Ryoma tell the entire team about his date with a coach from Josei Shonan and his plans for the students there?


	24. A Special Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyoutei's First Date
> 
> By: NarutoandBleach
> 
> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.

[A Special Date]

After Ryoma wrapped up his lunch date with Hanamura-sensei, he took the center stage in the control room and grabbed a microphone before facing his friends and said, "So guys, my date with Hanamura sensei went pretty well since I have formed a special bond with her. Furthermore, the flowers have given her the strength to improve her bond with the students. After all, I feel that she might be forming a bond with me as well since I don't know what to say at this point. Plus, I might be going to Josei Shonan to help the coach teach the first years how to play tennis and no I am not attending classes there." Ryoma was blushing even after giving the bouquet of flowers to the coach while his friends cooled him down with the hand held fan as Tokugawa was in the room smiling at him before giving him a thumbs up.

Everyone looked at him with silences on their faces and some were shocked. However, they immediately paused to regain their composure while Shishido got up and faced Ryoma in the center stage area by hunching down a bit while the others surrounded him.

"Are you serious? You really are going to Josei Shonan? I thought you were planning to make your name well known at Hyoutei?" began Hiyoshi.

"I did not say that I was going to attend classes, did I? All I am doing is just a part time coaching session with some rookies at the request of Hanamura herself since she feels that I am going to be of some use to her." replied Ryoma.

"Really? How did she start hitting on a brat like you anyway? Is it because of the good looks that you have?" asked Shishido.

"Or it could be that your words of love totally blew her away since you have a thing for women. You really got guts, kid. I admire that." Smiled Yagyuu.

"Hey, like I said it was my first time talking with girls since I cannot confess my love towards Sakuno and Tomoka whenever I am around them. Sure, some girls like them can be annoying at times cheering repeatedly because I couldn't practice tennis in peace. Therefore, it will be in my best interest to not have distractions from those annoying cheerleaders for a while." Said Ryoma.

Soon, Kikumaru walked over and immediately placed Ryoma in a headlock, "O-chibi! How rude! If you don't want girls cheering for you, just ask them nicely, you little brat!"

Momoshiro immediately followed suit and planted a headlock on Ryoma and said, "I agree, you don't understand a thing about girls. Maybe you need to spend more time with Sakuno more because you are her boyfriend, admit it! She has worked hard to make you happy and you must return the favor, is that clear?"

"Sure, whatever you say, but let me remind you that Sakuno is just a childhood friend of mine since we never dated each other. Besides, Monkey king almost dated Ann not too long ago and she almost fell for his good looks and his charming personality. I have to give him credit for not trying to piss off Kamio and Momo, but still, Ann will eventually just accept his love sooner or later." Added Ryoma.

At that moment, Atobe immediately turned bright red, the color of Fuji Apples. Gakuto and Shishido sniggered quietly in the corner while the Oshitari cousins laughed loudly since they have never seen this side of Ryoma before. Sure, Momo stopped Atobe from trying to date Ann, but she clearly stated that the king of Hyoutei was not her type. So now, Atobe immediately placed his thinking cap on and said, "Brat! Ore-sama has ways to make Ann fall for me. Also, you are still my date and don't you forget that! And don't call me monkey king! I can prove to you that I can get Tachibana An to fall for me because last time, she was a little too nervous."

"Keigo, are you seriously planning a double date with both Ann and Ryoma? What will her brother say about this?" asked Akaya.

"If Keigo wants to see if he can date my sister, it's fine with me. Besides, I already defeated Hyoutei in a tennis match previously so I cannot refuse his request. Furthermore, my bond with Atobe was strained at first, but after seeing my sister always following him around, I guess it couldn't hurt. Overall, An just needs to spend some time getting to know Keigo a little better." Stated Kippei.

"Ore-sama thanks you for your contribution, Kippei. And don't worry, I will take good care of her." bowed Atobe.

"Good luck. Don't get on her bad side though since she has a tendency to snap." said Kippei as a smug appeared on his face.

"Of course, you already know how to comfort her so I will do my best to keep her happy any way possible." finished Atobe.

"I am counting on you." replied Kippei.

The others were shocked at what the captain of Fudomine had just done for his sister since they have never seen a brother getting this serious before. Sure, they have seen how Ryoma dated that guy previously and now they are wondering why Kippei's own sister would want to take a crack at the captain of Hyoutei since this was her moment to see if she can put a spark in his eyes. Meanwhile, Chitose and Jungle boy since they observed the whole date between Ryoma and hanamura earlier. Furthermore, Chitose couldn't help but to give Ryoma those flowers as a token in order to keep his sister out of trouble. As for Kintaro, he found it weird that Chitose was acting like this and decided to walk over to where Ryoma was sitting and said, "Wow, what is wrong with our sempais today? Why are they falling for all the girls out there?"

Surprisingly, An was also here since she had seen what Ryoma did earlier. "Well, Kintaro, it seems that the male gender has a thing for women because of their good looks, sweet personality, and how attractive they really are. That's why boys will date girls no matter how beautiful they really are. Unfortunately for me, Keigo can't stop staring at me because it's our first date together. So I have to fulfill my responsibility since he wanted to court me and I cannot say no."

"An-chan, are you serious? You know Keigo has been dating Ryoma for a while now and all of a sudden, he comes after you? Oh boy, looks like everyone has lovers except for me. I want Shiraishi-sempai to date me since he is always busy preaching about health and recovery. Besides, I have already seen the bond that Hanamura had with our Ryoma so I want to see what my bond with Kura looks like when we are dating." Smiled Kintaro.

"Why are you calling him Kura, Kintaro?" asked a confused Kenya.

"Well, I like to shorten people's names so Kura is perfect for him. Besides, you can see how well he bonded with ryoma when he met our tennis team back in Osaka. Therefore, if Ryoma is going to date Atobe, then I am going to take care of Shiraishi with my little date thanks to these flowers I picked up from the Ikebana shop next to Rikkaidai." Continued Kintaro.

The room was pretty silent after Kintaro gave his little speech and soon, they all started guffawing loudly, including Atobe and Shishido since they have never seen that cute little monster rookie making a statement like this.

"You? Dating your own captain from Shitenhouji? That's a laugh. I wonder how Kuranosuke will feel when he finds out what you're doing with him?" sniggered Akaya.

"There is nothing wrong with dating your own captain, but have you forgotten that Shiraishi is not really interested in dating women right now? He is way too focused on the poisonous plants at the school. Furthermore, he already asked Fuji for a special date since that guy is a complete genius when it comes to plant knowledge. Besides, our little brother knows that Shiraishi is just a friend and not his date." Added Yukimura bluntly.

"I can prove to you that I can successfully date Shiraishi. But let me ask this: how come Shiraishi-sempai always asks him to eat lunch at his house? It's like they are two peas in a pod. Are you sure that they are not boyfriend/girlfriend?" asked Kintaro.

"The only reason why I always invite Ryoma to my house is because he likes to hang out with me during free time. Furthermore, he and I will sometimes discuss homework issues or about protecting the plants from dying in the hot sun. We are not on a date yet since that brat knows that I am not his type and I can understand that, but one of these days, he has to date me so that we can continue to strengthen our friendship bond." Stated Shiraishi as his smile started to become wider.

"When did you get here, buchou?" asked Chitose

"I just finished practice about an hour ago and wanted to see what was going on in here. To my surprise, I didn't know that Atobe was going to be dating Ann and ryoma at the same time. Also, Fuji already texted me the video of that brat and the coach from Josei Shonan dating together and its pretty funny seeing them together for the first time. I must admit, that kid has a lot of guts dating a grown woman from another school, but how do you think he will fare with Sumire Ryuzaki?' asked Shiraishi.

"I don't know if the coach will approve of this date with her own students, but I can't deny the fact that Nanjiro would probably force his own son to date her in the coming days since she already added Kevin Smith to her list of rosters in Seigaku. There is no telling what could happen now since no one knows how old Sumire really is.

"Personally, we don't allow our own teammates to date our own coaches. Unfortunately for you teammates at Shitenhouji, your coach will fall for Sumire pretty soon if I am not mistaken. "Said Momo.

"Really? Did Osamu send Coach Ryuzaki a text message? If so then this could be the start of something new for them in the near future. Besides, osamu is the type of coach a lot of people would want to hang around with. But when Kintaro is around him, that kid can easily annoy Osamu for a good amount of reasons and this could give him more headaches later on, saa?" replied Fuji.

As the gang checked their cell phones, no one except Ryoma seems to have gotten the text message from coach Osamu telling him that he is planning to woo Coach Ryuzaki soon. At that point, everyone was confused as to how that brat had gotten the message while no one else did since many were wondering where this rumor is coming from. How did Coach Ryuzaki get involved in a date with a boring coach from Osaka? Furthermore, Ryoma decides to copy the message towards everyone else's phones so that they know what exactly is going on because there isn't a chance to hide this now from his teammates because they want to know exactly what Sumire is planning for coach osamu later.

With so many senior boys falling for their lovers, everyone feels that they need to do something special for Atobe since he is going after Ann for the first time instead of always pursuing Ryoma. As for the Shitenhouji boys, they are going to prepare some sort of a feast for their coach since he is pursuing Sumire. Just then, Ryoma's phone rang and he answered, "Hello, Ryoma speaking."

"This is coach Ryuzaki, I heard that you got a message on your phone regarding me dating Osamu. I don't know where you got that idea from, but I might give this whole date thing a try. Where did he say he wanted to meet me?"

"He did not say where though, he just wants you to stop by at Shitenhouji middle school after practice so that you can go on your dinner date without any interruptions. Also, it seems that my lover is also going after Kippei's sister as well since I have to accompany her yet again. I've already missed several days of tennis practice, so can I make up for lost time?" asked Ryoma.

"You did not miss any days of tennis practice, so you're fine. Besides, I already have Kevin coaching the first years about the sport itself and some of them are such slow learners. But I am sure that they will improve eventually. Anyway, I just got the update you sent to me and I will be more than happy to accompany coach osamu to dinner. Anyways, I will talk to you tomorrow and be sure to show up on time for school and practice as usual!" said Sumire as she hung up the phone. Afterwards, Ryoma turned his attention his friends and said, "Well, looks like Sumire is definitely going on a dinner date with Osamu and she has made it official."

Kintaro immediately jumped for joy as he hugged Ryoma tightly while Shiraishi's beetle Gabriel slowly crawled around the boy's arms approvingly. Although the kid doesn't really like bugs that much, he gave a soft rub on the beetle before putting it back on the branch inside a cage.

"Looks like you finally approved the coaches of their date, right Koshimae?" smiled Kintaro.

"I didn't do anything; it was actually your coach that decided upon the dinner date. Frankly, she wasn't going to date me because I am not her type. Besides, this is an adult thing so we need them to have their quite moment together alone and we have to respect their privacy. Besides, I will accompany Ann on her date with monkey king—" Before he could finish his sentence, the diva gave him a death glare.

"I mean, I will accompany Ann on her date with Keigo-sama since he really wants me to see how this will turn out." Finished Ryoma.

"that's better, brat! I don't think she will back down from the challenge right?" asked a sheepish Atobe as he turned to look at An.

"No way! I accept your challenge. Meet me tomorrow at the gates of Fudomine around 3 pm sharp, don't be late!" said An.

Atobe immediately gave her a thumbs up and would promise a date for An since this is one that she will cherish all her life. Although she has a headstrong personality, she is ready to conquer just about anything that stands in her way. Furthermore, everyone else are Atobe's pawns, but An is known as the queen of tennis that can easily crush anyone in a match. She can be elusive at times when trying to reject the offers from her knights in shining armor.

"if you plan to capture my heart, you got to show that you really are the type of guy to win my love. How about a game of tennis?"

"Nah, you have defeated me many times in that sport. How about I just take you home with me for a game of chess instead? Besides, if I didn't know better, I'd say that Akaya has lost to you many times before in that game even when he was trying to take you to a favorite hair stylist. I have to admit, that kid has a strong heart, but my heart will keep you a lot warmer, so what do you say?" asked Atobe.

"Do you always have to say that to just about anyone that you date, you egotistical maniac?" snapped An.

"Now, now, don't be like that. When I went for that brat Echizen, it took him a while to accept my love for him and he feels much more comfortable around me. But you won't be too much of a challenge since I will find a way to win you over since I am done with my former ex-girlfriend." Continued Atobe.

"You never told me you had an ex-girlfriend. What did she do to you?" asked An.

"Perhaps I can explain that. You see, that woman challenged me to a tennis match to see if I was worthy enough to date Atobe. After a while, I told her that me and Atobe are just friends and we occasionally hang out together to do fun things. However, she immediately went beserk and smacked me in the face for taking her lover away when I did no such thing. Luckily, Atobe was there to break up the fight and decided to end his relationship with that girl and said that he is more interested in winning my heart instead of high school girls." Continued Ryoma.

"I see, but you didn't get hurt or anything right?' said ann.

"nah, my face is completely recovered now. If you want, I can accompany you to Atobe's house since I am going back to his place anyway tomorrow afternoon after practice." Finished ryoma.

"Wonderful! I will have the car parked outside of the gates tomorrow afternoon, don't be late! My dog gets very anxious when he doesn't have anyone over and he does get lonely at times. Besides, dating you guys is a walk in the park since I have a tendency to treat younger children as equals and I find them to be very cute. Anyway, I need to get back and wrap up a few things at the clubhouse, see you both tomorrow!" said Atobe as he immediately retired from the lab and headed back to the school club house.

"That guy just doesn't know when to give up, right Choutaro?" whispered Shishido.

"I told you before, that guy is narcissistic for picking little kids as his dates. Doesn't he realize that sooner or later an will reject him?" replied Choutaro..

"I don't think she will reject him that early, we should actually keep an eye on them and find out just how their little date will go tomorrow afternoon because Atobe has his ways to make people change their minds about him." Said Yuushi. Soon, a light chuckle appeared on Atobe's mouth as he walked out the door and for once, the king admits that he finally has found the girl of his dreams since Kippei has granted permission for them to spend some quality time together.

"Since when do girls fall in love with sadistic and demonic boys?" asked Akaya

"Who knows, I know that Fuji-sempai always likes to set up these matchmaking sessions for girls when they are near middle school boys older than thirteen. Furthermore, Atobe has his ways to make them fall in love with him. You saw how well he handled Ryoma, so An will not be a problem for him. You just have to believe in that guy since his goal is to gather flowers and a special present for the girl from Fudomine." Added Yanagi.

"Oh, I see. So he really is trying to win her heart? Boy, no wonder Ryoma and an are quite the charmers. They are the bachelor and the bachelorette hoping to find love." Finished Akaya.

"Yes, that is exactly what he is doing. See, you finally understand what true romance really means, you should be a love doctor, puri!" winked Niou.

"Ugh! Cut it out will you, Niou!?" Akaya blushed at that remark and decided to check to see how well this date will turn out tomorrow. This is going to be a momentous occasion for the students and the coaches so all bets are in. Furthermore, An could possibly try out for the girls tennis team at Hyoutei as well. This date is going to get very interesting since this could be the first time a girl from Fudomine will go pro in her tennis career while finding love. At that moment, Ryoma sighed and wondered what Atobe could have cooked up this time because he knows that the diva has shown some good impressions with girls after his former ex-girlfriend left him.

By nightfall, Ryoma returned home from his date with Hanamura while thinking about her offer since he has two options. However, it could impact his decision on going to Hyoutei later on since An is going there as well for a little trial run. Furthermore, with more dates coming up, the short pants kid is going to have some work cut out for him tomorrow after witnessing what just happened in the control room. Elsewhere at Kippei's house, An was packing her necessities for her journey into Atobe's school since she doesn't know what lies ahead at that school yet. Perhaps there could be strong players that could prove to be challenging or the extremely strict coaches pressuring the girls to practice daily. But either way, Kippei knows that this is the path that she must take and decides to give her some encouragement.

"Good luck out there An. Just be careful, you might never know what Hyoutei has in store for you." he said.

"I don't know if it's pure luck or chance, but that masochist diva sure has his ways to get the girls, you know that? besides, Echizen already told me that he felt comfortable around that handsome devil, but maybe I could learn a thing or two from him tomorrow." added An.

"I know right? That kid might not be that smart, but he was daring enough to make a move on a guy like Keigo thanks to some assistance from his sadistic sempais. Hell, he even had no complications with Shinji and Kamio either. Looks like Atobe might choose you as the bachelorette later on." smiled her brother.

"Don't count on it! And even if I don't get a date, I will still beat that guy at tennis." replied An as she sets off for dinner.

Kippei could only crack a smile as he sat down at the table with the family since he almost went for that brat Ryoma last time. Now, he wants to see how well his sister can do with that devilish diva. Elsewhere, Ryoma and the others are still at the control room figuring out their next move since they had no idea where Kippei and Tokugawa came up with those ideas of letting middle school boys and girls date a guy like Atobe.

"Atobe isn't a fool, but this is going too far. Honestly, that guy needs to focus his time on his studies and everything instead of dating people." Stated Akaya.

"Unfortunately, Atobe likes to finish things early because he is not too worried about anything else right now. Furthermore, he likes to spend time with anyone where he pleases since his aim is to get people attracted to him. It's like he wants them to come over to his place for some fun. I always tell him that most boys and girls are not his type but he doesn't care." Added Yuushi.

"No shit! That guy thinks he owns all the guys and girls out there like they are his toys or something. Honestly, I just don't get him anymore. Where is he getting all these crazy ideas from?" grunted Shishido.

"Atobe is in his own little world and he can't seem to leave that place. Believe me, I tried to convince him to take a break from Ryoma, but he just wanted to keep on going until everyone can successfully date him. It's like he doesn't even care about tennis anymore. I know for a fact that there are tennis prodigies that are trying to change the world, but this dating thing isn't going to work. Therefore, we will have to see how long that guy can keep this up." Finished Sanada.

"Guys, let's just play it cool okay? We don't want to rile that diva up because he might be thinking that we are going to give him a huge migraine. Anyway, let's see how An will do with him because this is a test of their true love." Added Ryoma.

Everyone nodded in agreement as they headed over to Atobe's villa for their little investigation since that magnificent diva has a special surprise planned for the queen of tennis from Fudomine.

Author's note: I had to make this short because I know for a fact that Atobe could win An's heart in a heartbeat even with their tennis skills so there is a chance that she might not be rejected from the girls' tennis team. furthermore, even Ryoma knows that Atobe failed to win her previously, but this time, he is going all out on her. I will have more for you next time since I got work coming up in the next few weeks so I will try to update as much as I can. Until then folks, read and enjoy!


	25. King vs. Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyoutei's First Date
> 
> By: NarutoandBleach
> 
> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.

That night, Ryoma and the gang decided to check out Atobe's villa in order to see what exactly he was planning for the queen of tennis. Usually, this was supposed to be a boyfriend/girlfriend outing, but this time, keigo came prepared as long as An is under his care since her brother Kippei and his teammate Kamio had agreed to let the leader of Hyotei take a crack at her instead of just the seigaku brat. Unfortunately, Atobe was not going to be that easy to deal with since this guy has the ability to defeat almost anyone in tennis and other sports just like he did with Ryoma previously. But this time, the locations of the dates are still the same even if it means taking An to her favorite locations. However, she was not that amused.

"You're literally insane, you know that? Would you mind explaining what I am doing at your luxurious mansion? And don't tell me we are going on a date!" stated An.

"That is exactly what we are doing! You are my date remember? I had promised your brother that I would take you to your favorite places just like I did with that brat ryoma and even he felt comfortable with me. So you should probably be able to get used to hanging around me for a while. Furthermore, I am what you would call "unique." Said Atobe with a smile on his face.

Out of the corner of Atobe's eyes, he could see Ryoma and the others looking inside, but he immediately nodded to Kabaji to let them in. As the boys entered inside, they could see that An was being served tea while she was busy setting her bags down in one of the guest rooms. As she took the tea from kabaji, she thanked him and took a seat on the chair to relax her self.

"How unique are you? Are you a people person?" she asked.

"Very unique. In fact, I am one of the nicest person to hang around with and I think Ryoma would agree with me since we are a cute couple." Winked Atobe.

"No, we're NOT! I only dated you temporarily in order to be friends with you." Said Ryoma furiously while blushing.

"Don't lie to your senior captain, brat! You are aware that my tennis magnificence makes my body stand out to attract girls right? Furthermore, I have a wonderful personality and don't you forget it. Remember, we are still going on dates but right now, An is probably finding me attractive right now."

"I don't care how magnificent you are at tennis, and as for your personality, I respect it. However, I don't want to say anything that will go against your wishes, but if I was to be your girlfriend, this could have a huge impact on my future and your life, depending on where I will go to study."

At that moment, Atobe realizes that An was contemplating the idea of telling Kippei in order to let him give a good chat to the king of Hyoutei. But her brother was not in a position to lecture him about romance or love since this was his sister's decision to woo him. It's not like Kippei is going to worry about his own sister since she chose to be together with him since Atobe was not a stalker, but rather a charmer to please girls in order to prove himself worthy to find a girl of his dreams.

"So this is your future eh? Are you worried I might leave you so soon?" continued atobe.

"That's beside the point, but I am not worried about you leaving me. And since I trust your judgment, let's go get some ice cream and drinks, shall we?" said An as she tugged on the diva's shoulder.

Atobe rolled his eyes and stared at An for a second before talking again, "Are you serious about this relationship?

"Of course I am! you think I am joking? I really want to see what it is like being your girlfriend." Smiled An.

Soon, shocked looks appeared on everyone's faces inside the room. Ryoma coughed for a bit before trying to hold his laughter while the Oshitari cousins sniggered quietly in the corner since they have never seen An taking on a challenge like this before. Furthermore, this would be the first time that Atobe has been picked to date a girl from a different school since he has spent way too much time with the Seigaku rookie. It was time for a change of pace.

"I have to admit, you got guts to date a guy like me. I am surprised that you actually accepted my love for you and here I thought I would escort you to the guest room to change into something more comfortable myself." Contined the diva.

"I don't want to catch your germs, but thanks anyway. I know my own dress code routine." Finished An as she watches Atobe taking a seat on the desk finishing up some last minute papers while a butler escorted her towards the dressing room. "Your clothes will be ready in a few minutes, do you need to extend that time period?" He then hands a glass of lemonade for An as she finished changing.

"Are you really trying to impress me here?" asked an as she pointed at the marble staircase and the long dining table in the dining room.

"It sure is," replied Atobe lightly. "Do you want more lemonade?"

"Nah, this should be fine, thanks." An is thinking that she likes apple juice better, but the lemonade definitely suits her taste

'Are you ready to go?" asked Ann.

"Of course, I just need to change into my tuxedo and I will be out in a minute." And with that Atobe left the room to change into something more handsome since this will be a first one-on-one date between him and the girl since he is striving to please her any way possible. However, Ann was feeling a bit embarrassed after witnessing what just happened earlier. After all, she worked really hard to get to this point thanks to the pointers that she got from Ryoma and his friends. Although her date with Momo was a little bit on the downside, she feels that spending more time with Atobe would sooth her need because it was necessary for her to meet a guy that can change the outlook on her life.

A few minutes later, Atobe reemerged from his room with his new look along with a flower tucked into his tuxedo and this surprised Ann just as it did to Ryoma and everyone else. Soon, Yuushi and Kenya placed their homework assignments down and walked over towards their captain for a moment and said, "Wow Atobe, you are really taking this date seriously eh? Perhaps we were right about you choosing An as your true love, I hope this date goes well."

"My friend, when I went for ryoma, he felt really relaxed about the whole date thing and to me, this is going to be a walk in the park. And besides, we are only going out for a few drinks and ice cream since she really want this date to be special." Said Atobe as he gently patted the blue-haired tensai on the back before strolling off with his new lover.

"Looks like Atobe's insanity is off the charts this time, I would never imagine that he would fall for Ann that quickly. I can almost imagine what Ryoma is thinking right now. He probably is wondering why his lover is bed-hopping with all the cute kids these days. To me, that's just letting the matchmaker setting up all the decisions for them." Added Gakuto.

"If anyone is responsible for the matchmaking business, it has to be Fuji Syusuke because he has been watching Ryoma and Ann for quite some time now." Stated Yuushi.

Although his feminine instincts has been tingling ever since that kid and Atobe has been hanging around for a long time and it is becoming very frustrating to him that he didn't have a lover of his own. Sure, there were times when Fuji spied on Atobe stalking Ryoma throughout the night at his house in America or when Atobe had his attention on the girls at his tennis courts since he finds them to be awesome.

Oh! This is going to get very interesting indeed since Ann was finding his lover to be incredibly observant because no one can trick him because he will definitely check with his regulars before turning his attention towards his next lover because he has more time to spend with her instead of the entire tennis team because this is a perfect way for Atobe to get to know his acquaintances a lot better. But life was not going to be easy for the tennis captain since he cannot deal with the stress of his teammates if they continue to cause a ruckus. Finally, Atobe grabbed Ann and took her outside towards his car and they drove off towards the ice cream parlor while the others stayed behind to keep track of his progress.

"Do you think Ann really is going for that guy? I mean he has enough on his plate as it is and now he has to deal with this feisty little queen? Give the guy a break!" whined Kirihara.

"We know, seaweed head. But this is Atobe we are talking about here and he likes to have some time alone with ann because she hasn't seen him for such a long time now. Please respect their privacy." Said Shishido.

If Atobe knew that he had taken his time off to date Ann, he would have cancelled club activities and tennis practice in order to let his regulars take a break from their gruesome training since they worked so hard to get this far. At this point, he was amused that Ann took her time off from her busy schedule to date a diva since she still has a few exams left to finish before the semester's end and this was her chance to use this mini-vacation before the summer break because there could be other activities that Ann has to focus on later.

"So, what made you decide to come and see me all the way here in Hyoutei?" asked atobe.

"Well, my class was let out early and I had to come and visit you since you made me your date." Added Ann

"I see, so you are lucky that you got this mini vacation while I have to deal with my squabbling teammates. Sometimes I get splitting headaches hearing them fight all the time and I have to let them run laps to cool their heads since that is the only way to keep them from fighting. Overall, I am glad that we could have this time to ourselves so consider it as a little love fest between us." Continued Atobe as he gently stroked An's hand.

"Love fest? But we are not actually in love yet, this is only a date, remember? And besides, you invited me out here for a little drink and ice cream and I thank you for that. However, this won't count as a date unless it is a movie or the amusement park." State An as she ordered her Pepsi drink.

"Really? But what would you call this?" asked Atobe.

"It's a little something that I like to call hanging out and having a first impression since you and I were meant to be for each other. Although you failed to give me your best looks last time, I can assure you that I won't falter as long as I make you my true love." Continued An.

"Something tells me you really want to see this date through right? Okay then, bring on the sodas, one rocky road ice cream and one vanilla chocolate fudge, ma'am!" called Atobe.

"Coming right up!" said the waitress. At that moment, An was surprised that Atobe had made orders like this for the first time since this is exactly what Ryoma did previously with Hanamura. Furthermore, the Fudomine girl could see that Atobe does have a heart behind his ego despite how bitchy he might be or how holier-than-thou he seems. Although there are other girls that Atobe has no interest in such as the swooning ladies and the gushing girls who always bows at his feet, An seems to like to slap the guy in the head when he acts like an asshole after going for a strong-willed and a sassy woman like he because he is too used to girls falling for him.

Sure, Atobe has the tendency to annoy the hell out of his teammates, but he is a loveable captain as stated by Oshitari since he is Atobe's best friend next to Kabaji of course. Furthermore, Oshitari knows a lot about their dramatic captain and feels that he is a normal guy underneath his pomp and arrogance. Unfortunately for Jirou, he finds Atobe to be a challenge because the captain will often wake him up and ensure that he focuses on tennis and real life since this guy has various personalities that Jirou finds interesting. As for Shishido, he respects his captain highly no matter how vain they really are. Although this guy needs a brutal cut down since he wasn't all that great. Now, Gakuto really appreciates his captain's humor and likes the fire that he emits throughout his body even though atobe does have the tendency to go bat shit crazy. Finally, Ohtori and Hiyoshi both think of their captain as an obstacle and a funny guy since mushroom head wants the captain defeated permanently so they can become number one. Overall, they like Atobe just the way he is.

"Looks like your teammates think they like you the way you are since they have faith in you. No one should underestimate you or me since I am looking forward to joining your school in the near future." Continued An.

"True, my teammates do have their ways to annoy me but I always tell them to focus on their things instead of just on me and this, I have made the right decision to date you and Ryoma combined since I feel that you both can make my life a whole lot easier. Therefore, my intention is to try and see if you both have conveyed your feelings towards me."

"I do think Ryoma has already showed his feelings towards you, but for me it could take a while. So let's enjoy our drinks and ice cream for now since you seem to care a lot about me. After all, this date is a test to see if we can build a relationship together." Continued Ann.

"Are you really sure about this? This is just a date, and having a relationship now would take a while. Please keep it as a sign of friendship between us, okay?" stated Atobe.

Elsewhere, Shishido and Gakuto stood behind their seats at the ice cream shop and were shocked to see their captain and An making their first date official since they have seen how their captain did it with Ryoma previously. But now, they are certain that this date could go down in flames. On the other hand, Choutaro feels that An could have misjudged Atobe and feels that he isn't so bad after all.

"Looks like the queen of tennis is starting to fall for our captain now and I think she might make this even more interesting." Stated Gakuto.

"Agreed, that deranged captain never seems to break his promises when Kippei asked him to date his sister. I wondered how Kippei knew about this?" asked Shishido.

"I think he must have talked with Fuji since he is an expert at this whole matchmaking thing. Furthermore, that sadistic sempai has the ability to ensure that all dates will go smoothly without fail. If I were you, I'd start joining them on their little date since we know for sure where this is going." Added Kamio.

"So, Fuji is behind all of this? What exactly was he thinking? Unless he had a talk with Atobe and other people to set the date up like this, he is pretty daring. Unbelievable! Who knew that guy had an ingenious plan like this?" continued Gakuto.

"Ingenious my ass! We all know that Atobe and Fuji are both egotistic and sadistic at the same time since they both will do anything to get what they want. We cannot trust either of them since they can make people's lives a living nightmare. Furthermore, they have made us drink Inui's secret juice and it tasted awful! Remind us to never try those drinks ever again." Boasted Shishido.

"At least that guy knows how to make reservations at this ice cream chain, we will give him credit for doing that. However, we need to have a serious talk with Fuji immediately." Continued kamio. And soon, the three of them headed outside into the direction of Fuji's house. As they arrived, the younger Syusuke sibling opened the door and could see Shishido, Gakuto, and kamio outside.

"Hey guys, what's going on? Are you looking for my brother?" asked Yuuta.

"Yes, we were looking for him. Did you see him around anywhere?" asked Kamio.

"I think he might be practicing in the backyard somewhere. Let me get him for you." Said yuuta. And he immediately dashed into the backyard and to his surprise, he was right there practicing his tennis swings for the upcoming world cup. Soon, the gang emerged from the house and went towards the backyard to wave at Fuji.

"Saa, so you were looking for me. What brings you guys here?" asked Fuji.

"Did you set up a matchmaking date with Atobe and An? Because we just saw them at the ice cream parlor earlier and it seems that they are hitting it off." Said Shishido.

"Indeed, it seems that an is starting to make her first impression on our captain and she plans to join our school later on. Was this your idea all along?" asked Gakuto.

"Saa, of course it was. Like I said before, Kippei asked me to set up a date between her and Atobe since I want them to experience it for themselves. Besides my ryoma has done it before and he had no problems with Atobe at all. So I don't see anything wrong with them making out at the parlor." Smiled Fuji.

"You are a sadist you know that? We don't want their date to impact An's future at fudomine and her high school year so why did you do it?" asked Gakuto.

"Well, I have been talking with An lately and she said to me that she needed someone to date because it would be in her best interest to talk to someone that can bring her hopes of playing tennis back up. And I feel that Atobe was the perfect person to do it since he can be a little bit out of whack, but he cares deeply about Ann Tachibana. Therefore, it would be in his best interest to flirt with her and give her advice on how to become a better tennis player if she plans to go to hyotei later on. Plus, I responded to her texts since she wanted me to set her up with a date and so I accommodated her to Hyoutei and assured that the date will happen." Continued Fuji.

"I think she can find her own path even without any assistance, but since you helped her, she has your sincerest gratitude, Fuij-sempai. However, we have to let An choose her own path from now on. If she needs help, she will ask, if that is okay with you, Fuji." Added Kamio.

"Of course, but I feel that she might need assistance from me or Momo so we will let her decide after the date is over." Replied Fuji.

Everyone nodded in agreement and shook Fuji's hand for his assistance. As for Yuuta he approached his brother and asked, "What did you do for An tachibana?"

"I set her up on a date with keigo Atobe because I feel only he can get to know the girl a lot better since Momo feels a little too nervous around her. So it was in my best interest to let her take this opportunity to get to know the king of Hyoutei a little better. I never knew that she would start warming up to him in a matter of minutes, this is quite a surprise." Smiled Fuji.

"Fuji-sempai, seriously are you really just as deranged as Atobe is right now? I mean come on, even he knows that An won't fall for him!" stated kamio

"Oh no? Take a look on screen, it seems that she is holding the diva's hand and kissing him at the same time. I would call that the first impressions date. And I think she has what it takes to ensure that Atobe will belong to her forever." Continued Fuji as he showed them the screen in front of them featuring Atobe and an holding hands together and kissing on their foreheads, leaving everyone shocked.

"Are you seriously kidding me? Is Atobe really serious about this relationship with An?" asked a shocked Shishido.

"He is dead serious! And I do believe this could leave Ryoma singled out." Added Gakuto.

"I don't think he will care, besides, he probably would let An temporarily date Atobe so that he can practice tennis in peace for a while without having to be stalked by that diva repeatedly. This is a good chance for that brat to concentrate fully on his techniques. But other than that, I am happy that he finally let Ryoma be for a little while because that kid must be getting tired of spending all that time together with Atobe. I think he is moving on to other important matters and—oh hold on a second I just got a text from that brat." Said Kamio.

From: Ryoma Echizen

To: Fuji Syusuke, Akira Kamio

Subject: Atobe and An dating

Guys, I have to take a break from dating Atobe for a little bit since I have to focus on my tennis practice, but no worries, I am sure Ann will do well with that King for a while because I feel that he can easily handle this since I am given a break from dating more people for a while. 

Echizen Ryoma

Once everyone looks at the text sent by that brat, they were most impressed with his tenacity and his sheer will to let someone else take over his mission for a little while. Furthermore, Ryoma really needed a well-deserved break so he can focus on sports in order to defeat his rival and opponent at the world cup later on. Once Ryoma got himself situated, he decides to spend the night prepping for the upcoming competition by practicing in the backyard for a while. Soon, Ryoma gets a phone call from his father asking if he was okay and if he needed any extra clothes. He replied that he has packed the necessary clothes needed and that he does not need anything else.

"Also dad, atobe is seeing An Tachibana for a little while even though he still sees me as his backup boyfriend. So, I decided to take a break from dating him for a while and I have to focus on tennis." Said Ryoma.

"What? Why are you taking a break from Atobe? I thought you were being serious about your relationship with him, so what happened? Did Ann take your boyfriend away from you?" asked Nanjiro.

"Nah, I decided to share my boyfriend with Ann because she needs him to make her future brighter, After all, she is also going to Hyoutei to perfect her tennis skills as well." Continued Ryoma.

"I see. That's understandable. Well, at least now you are being nice enough to let the girl take over what you have started. Honestly, you are a good kid and you are always polite. I always wondered where you got the general neatness from, oh yes you probably got it from your friends, no wonder you have so much loyalty towards them. Anyway, take good care of yourself and I will see you later!" smiled his father as he hung up the phone.

Ryoma breathed a sigh of relief since he was starting to get a headache from listening to all of that, but then he winked a smile on his face and resumed his practice session. "Loyalty, eh? I have proven time and time again that my friends are proving to be very useful to me. I still like them the way they are even though they do annoy me sometimes, but I have great respect for them since all of them treats me like a brother."

Back at the parlor, Atobe gobbled up the rest of his ice cream while watching Ann taking her time with the remains of the vanilla flavor since they are not speed demons. But soon, Atobe picked up a spoon and took the cup holding the ice cream and starts feeding An the rest of it before wiping her mouth clean. Furthermore, An was blushing a bit at what just happened earlier and said, "Atobe-sama, just what do you think you are doing? Did you really have to embarrass me like that in front of everyone?"

"So sorry about that, I just wanted to feed you the rest of the ice cream since you are taking too long to eat it. I had to help you even though we are just starting our date together." Said Atobe.

"Well, thanks for your help, but I can easily finish it on my own. Anyway though, you ready?" said Ann.

"Yep, I am ready. So we are going back to my place for a bit before you head home." said atobe.

Once the tab has been taken care of, Atobe takes Ann back to his house for a little chat since she still has a few minutes before heading home for a good night's rest. As they arrived, both of them headed up stairs towards their room when they head ball sounds from outside. As they checked, they can see ryoma still practicing while breaking a sweat. They decided not to interfere since these two still have a few minutes before Ann heads home.

"Is Ryoma going to be okay?" asked Ann

"I am sure he is fine, he is a fierce competitor and will fight to defeat the leader of the Genius 10 later on. Just give him a few more minutes before he comes inside for his rest." Said Atobe as he gently placed Ann on his bed. "Looks like our first impression date really seems to be going well. I am impressed that you are starting to take an interest in me." Smiled Atobe.

"Well, even though you can be a bit egotistical, this won't be the last time that we will see each other. We will still go on more dates after I finish my exams. Furthermore, I already know that you and Ryoma are still seeing each other from time to time and I can understand that. Still, I have to thank you for taking good care of him," added Ann.

"Glad that I could help him, and you know as well as I do that Ryoma will still be my number one lover next to you. Besides, I chose you both as my dates in order to fulfill my destiny to find love and since I found it, you both will be doing more tasks later on, are we clear on that?"

"Yes, of course, but why us though? I thought I was going to be your permanent date or something?" stated Ann.

"You will soon enough, but right now, I need to train Ryoma a little bit more since he still needs time to flirt with the girls. Anyway, do you need a ride home?" asked Atobe.

"Sure thing. I want to thank you for letting me spend the night with you. I will hopefully see you soon to keep track of Ryoma's progress." And with that Atobe quickly escorts Ann outside where he tells the driver to immediately take her home. Once the car departs, Ann waves back at her date before disappearing into the distance. As atobe heads over to the back yard, he notices that Ryoma was on the ground since he has reached his limit on tennis practice and said to him, "Looks like you are well on your way to stardom, brat. You still need a little more training in order to fulfill my goals."

"Don't remind me, you still owe me a tennis match tomorrow. Anyway, how did you start falling for Ann anyway?" asked Ryoma.

"Ore-sama has his ways of meeting women just like you do and he knows how to impress the girls. However, you still need a little more work on talking to women. So, are you ready to come inside? I got some water ready to cool you off. Make sure you bathe thoroughly if you want to get a girlfriend, hahahahaha!" laughed Atobe as he immediately scooped up Ryoma and took him inside.

"How many times do I have to tell you that Sakuno is not my girlfriend? She is just a childhood friend of mine. Also what are you, my mother? I know how to take care of myself!" protested Ryoma. But Atobe didn't hear him as he sets the kid down on the bed and stripped him clear of his dirty clothes before handing him the pajamas and directing him to the bathroom. "Towels are on the rack, shampoo and conditioners are inside the shower. Let me know if you need anything."

Ryoma only huffed as he enters the shower to clean himself up completely before heading to bed since this was a night worth remembering after seeing how well Ann did with the monkey king. However, it will take a while for him to regain confidence if he plans to date girls in the near future. At this point, Ryoma is not planning to crack under pressure because he has earned the trust of his teammates, his family and his obnoxious boyfriend since they are supporting him all the way. In other words, this will be Ryoma's chance to rise to the occasion and show the world that he can make the girls fall in love with him.

Author's notes: Ann sure has her creative ways to impress Atobe and she certainly has a lot of surprises. As for Ryoma, I don't know. He still has ways to go if he wants to catch up to Ann and his rival. I guess love is in the air for the two handsome rookies.


	26. Atobe's New Future Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
>  Hyoutei's First Date
> 
> By: NarutoandBleach
> 
> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use

[Atobe's New Future Date]

Now that Ann Tachibana has returned home for the night, Ryoma and Atobe could finally have some alone time together in the villa since it has been a while. At this rate, Atobe still has his heart out for that brat after his little one-on-one date with the queen of tennis because this gives him a chance to try and make an example of himself: show the girls how much he really cares about them. However, Ryoma feels that Atobe went a little too far flirting with Ann but he didn't really worry too much as long as they had a great time together. Since then, the diva still considers going out with people that he desires the most even if it means that he has to keep tennis practice shortened for the remainder of the school year while keeping tabs on his second lover.

"So, how did you fall for a girl like Ann?" asked Ryoma.

"That's easy! Remember when you guys were at the tennis courts during the metropolitan tournament? I spotted Ann with Kamio and Momo and decided to follow her for a while. At that time, she seems to be really a cute girl and I have developed feelings for her. Also, when I asked her out on a date with me, she rejected and told me if I can beat Kamio and Momo in a match, then she will reconsider my offer." Said Atobe.

"Oh yes, I do remember that time during your freshman year at Hyoutei Academy you were trying hard to win Ann's heart. But are you really serious about your relationship with her? What about our love relationship?" asked the Raven-Haired boy.

"To answer your question, yes I am very serious about my relationship with Ann because I can see my future with her if she ever attends Hyoutei like you are doing right now. Besides, this isn't a question about a relationship, it's more like me falling in love with her." Sighed Atobe with a blush on his face. "Boy, I can imagine what Ann will say to me if we do get back together."

Ryoma was confused and paused to clear his head of any migraines before talking again. "Okay, you are seriously weird, you know that? I mean come on; you know that I am your supposed "boyfriend" right? I myself wanted to confess my love to you. But now, you are too focused on Ann instead of me because she seems to be one that can eat your heart out."

"I am not weird, I was born to be a lover and raised to court people. That's how my parents got married and therefore, I will choose the next person to be my true heir. Besides, I will try and focus on you more, but right now, I cannot let go of Ann because I want to make sure she is safe since she is also very important to me." Said Atobe as he placed his hand on the Seigaku Rookie.

"Whatever, dude! Like I said, you and I should keep our relationship low-key since everyone knows about what we are doing together as lovers! Furthermore, let's just have a friendship thing with each other since I feel that too much love would not suit me." Added Ryoma.

Atobe looked at him for a moment and asked, "What do you mean keep it on the down low? You know I love you and Ann very much right? You are still my lover so don't keep denying it! I know that deep down in your heart, you will see me professing my love for you right? I promise that we won't get married, but one thing is for certain, you will remain as my one true love!" he then paused to clean the magazines off his nightstand. "I am doing what is best for both of you since you both have a heart of a blooming cherry blossom while your soft tender voice is like the wind blowing calmly in the morning sky."

Ryoma was not even sure where this deranged captain is getting these metaphors from and decided to step out of the room for a bit in order to stop himself from listening to anymore of those whacked-out mumbo jumbo since there was no way he could process all of this in his head. Furthermore, Ryoma feels that Atobe is seriously out of his mind trying to date Ann instead of him because he feels like being shut out by someone who is twice as smart and popular as he is. Furthermore, Ryoma decides to head over to the control room so that he can de-stress for a while.

In another part of the house, Yuushi and gakuto were busy getting ready for bed when they hear footsteps in the hallway. As they went out to check, they could see Ryoma heading towards them. Sio, the blue-haired Tensai decided to take Ryoma into his room for a little talk since the senior vice captain was the only person that the brat could turn to when Atobe was too busy dispelling quotes from famous poets.

"Something troubling you, Ryoma?" asked Yuushi.

"Well, either Monkey King is not right in the head or he is in his own little world now. He still thinks he is serious about his relationship with Ann other than me because that girl could probably have enough money to own the entire planet with him. Second, I feel that with her at Hyoutei, I might not be able to practice tennis in peace and therefore, finding my quiet area to concentrate will be even harder than before. Honestly, I am starting to think that this whole relationship thing is starting to dwindle on me." Said Ryoma.

"Atobe has his reasons to date Ann since he wants things to go his way, you know? In other words, he is warming up towards that girl from Fudomine because she wanted to spend more time with him. Furthermore, Atobe tells me he needs to take a break from hanging out with you for a while since he feels that you need a break as well. After all, you've gone on plenty of dates with other people so it is important that you rest up for a bit before resuming." Stated Yuushi.

"I hope he isn't trying to drift himself apart from me because I hate to see that happening. Besides, I can understand that he wants to be alone with Ann and I can respect that. Still, Atobe is no damn fool, he can sense that his relationship with me isn't very strained. Overall, I have to give him credit for extending the whole love affair. I never knew that he had this much potential, you know?" replied Ryoma.

"No, who told you that Atobe was going to break up with you? He never said anything like that and he isn't planning to break up with you anytime soon. He just has other people on his mind right now and thus, he has to shift his focus on Ann instead of just you since he can't spend all day just hanging out with men, you know that right? Sure, I could understand that his last girlfriend didn't do so great with him because of the break-up that occurred earlier, but you have to let him spend some time with people of his choosing." Finished Yuushi.

"Yes, my friend you are absolutely correct. Maybe I have been spending too much time around that brat over there. I think it's time I should spend some time dating other people." Smiled Atobe as he entered the hallway towards Yuushi's room.

"So you have overheard their conversation right? I thought you and Ryoma were—" begain Gakuto

"Dating? Yes we were but, I have my eyes set on Ann Tachibana because she knows for a fact that I am seeing Ryoma as well. Therefore, it is only in my best interest to stick with the queen of tennis for a while. Besides brat, we still care about you but you got to let us make our commitments to other people." Continued Atobe.

Ryoma breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the seniors patting the kid on his back and shoulder area while hugging him, letting him know that they still love him. "Thanks guys.

Although I will need time to think about this, I feel that I am being welcomed into the lovers club. Anyway though, I do have to head home soon since we can talk more about this after tennis practice tomorrow." Said Ryoma.

"You're leaving now? But I thought you were sleeping over tonight." Stated Atobe.

"I'll pass, but maybe next weekend we can arrange something. I just need time to focus on the sport for now. Thanks for letting me stay here guys." Said Ryoma.

"You must let me send you home at least, I mean it would be rude not for you to get a ride from yours truly right? After all, a man has to drive his beloved young prince home safely." Finished Atobe as he escorts the kid out of the house and into the limo.

"You are seriously weird, you know that?" grunted Ryoma.

"I am not weird, but given my good charming looks and a chivalrous personality, no one else can be like me to get all the girls out there." Boasted Atobe.

"Um, you're forgetting that Sanada is also getting the fangirls, aren't you?" whispered Yuushi.

"Between us top ranked tennis players, I am the only one that got the most votes so far because Sanada still needs some work in order to get the girls to be attracted to him. Besides, he will probably be kicking my ass for beating him in this match." Smiled Atobe evilly.

Yuushi sweat-dropped and wasn't sure what sort of reply he could give as he watched the car sped off into the distance. At this point, he feels that the teal haired teen may have some tricks of his own up his sleeve when it comes to dating girls. Furthermore, he just doesn't know when the captain can give up on his meaningless quest for love and move on towards more important things like thinking about tennis or going pro. Unfortunately, Atobe was too busy thinking about getting a girl of his dreams instead of shifting his mind onto sports and school since this guy has made it clear that sports is ancient history for him now.

"Looks like Keigo isn't going to change his mind anytime soon, right Yuushi?" stated Gakuto.

"Believe me, we tried to give him the best possible advice, but unfortunately, he has made it clear that he will stick with dating Ann Tachibana instead. I don't know what he sees in herm, but it sounds like she is planning to marry him or something."

"There isn't a chance in hell that she will marry him at a time like this since they just met. Do you remember the first impression date that those two went on together? It's like love at first sight you know? He also gave her flowers when they were together, can you believe it? A flower for the man of her dreams? Are you kidding me?" babbled Gakuto.

Yuushi looked at his partner for a second and said, "Maybe that girl likes hanging around our captain because when they encountered each other during the metro tournament, she didn't like him and was a little bit frightened at his behavior towards women. However, after a while, Ann started warming up to him and isn't scared at all. I have to admit; even I am impressed at how well she just walked up to Atobe and hugged him like it was nothing."

"Do you think they are a couple?" asked Gakuto

"They could definitely be a couple, but we will not know for sure until they spend a little more time together in the long run. In fact, I am certain that Ann and Atobe will ensure that their little date will go smoothly. I can't make any promises, but what I can say is that she really is serious about this relationship and giving Ryoma a break." Finished Yuushi.

"Are you just saying that to please me or are you trying to piss me off?" bellowed Gakuto.

"I am doing nothing of the sort, and I am not trying to hide anything from you. All I am saying that if they are really serious about getting together, then Ann has to fulfill her end of the bargain." Continued Yuushi.

"What bargain? All I see is her trying to win Atobe's heart because Tezuka wasn't here to try and steal Atobe away from her. I have a feeling where this is going to go. There is no doubt in my mind that Atobe is definitely attracted to Ann ever since they first met."

"Maybe she really respects him a lot and admires his endeavors to woo her." Stated Ootori as he headed off to bed in his pajamas.

"When did you get here, Choutaro?" asked Gakuto.

"Atobe invited me here because of Ryoma being his special guest of honor. However, I have seen that An was made the maid of honor. Isn't it obvious? Anyone who does not believe that Atobe and An are together are either too stupid or dense to understand the feelings they have for each other. It's like hearing him say, 'I like you, Ann Tachibana, I want you to be my lover' sort of thing."

"Looks like you understand our captain much better than I do, Choutaro. No matter how messed up Atobe is, we still have to trust his instincts." Replied Gakuto.

Everyone else agreed to that response because there is no way they can doubt their captain.

~/~

Once Ryoma reaches his house, he thanked the driver and his lover for a well spent night. "Be careful around Ann, she can be a bit stubborn at times, but as long as you develop a strong relationship for her, she will ask you to take her wherever she likes to go."

"Of course, it's just like our date so this should be a walk in the park. Besides, I can promise you that her tenacity is well respected. Still she has guts to show up at my doorstep asking me out on a date right on the bat, but no matter. She and I will have a great time together as our relationship thickens, so don't worry about anything just as long as I take good care of her." Replied Atobe.

"Like I said, you and I are just hanging out together as friends, not dating. Still though, I am glad that our relationship didn't go down in flames or else I would be the one whacking you with a tennis ball and telling your friends that I broke up with you. But we all know that will not happen since Yuushi and Gakuto sempai convinced me to stay in touch with you even though they asked me to take a break from the whole date thing." Continued Ryoma.

"Really? I can understand you need a break and since you are already aware that I am seeing Ann, I can grant you a break from dating me. You were wise to listen to my teammates and followed through on their commands. Anyway, get yourself a good night's rest, you will need it if you plan to keep your strength up to beat Byodoin later on." Said Atobe as he returns to the limo.

"Of course, you take care of yourself as well. Good night to you." Replied Ryoma. As the limo disappeared into the distance, he entered and took off his shoes before heading towards the dining room to quench his thirst. Just then, he could see his father and his cousin in front of him.

"So, how did your date go with your boyfriend?" asked Nanjiro.

"What boyfriend? You mean Atobe? He is just a friend, and no we are not officially there yet since he is seeing someone else now." Replied Ryoma.

"Oh, really? Who is he seeing?" continued nanjiro evilly.

"It's Ann Tachibana from Fudomine. She started developing feelings for him and decided to date him because she feels that only he can cheer her up and make her stronger to defeat opponents in the tennis matches later on. I don't know why Atobe is so interested in her, but I can honestly say that those two could possibly be a couple someday. Also what the hell is that acrid smell?" said Ryoma as he held his nose.

"It's just the cigarette dude! Get a grip! Anyway, dinner is almost ready, we made your favorites." Continued Nanjiro. At that moment, Ryoma was about to punch some sense into his father, but decided against it since it would be foolish to argue about it now. Furthermore, Ryoma hated the smell of cigarettes since he didn't want to get sick. However, Nanjiro reassured him that the mask was there to protect him and as he used it, the bad air didn't get into his lungs as he ate dinner.

Afterwards, Ryoma decided to play with his cat for a little while as he thinks about what Atobe said to him earlier since this is new to him. He did not expect a girl to waltz right in and start asking his lover for a date. At that moment, Ryoma feels that Atobe was really trying to make sure to let the super rookie catch up on his own things for a while so that he doesn't get overworked too much. Overall, Atobe was looking out for Ryoma's best interest and that's why he started caring about the kid. Furthermore, Ryoma could see that Atobe would likely have more plans in the near future if he sees him again.

As Ryoma headed to bed, he scooped up Karupin and said to him, "you know, we have a strong bond as friends, but as your master, I can clearly see that I will need to take care of you more and pay close attention to you for a while until those two lovers get fully acquainted. It is only fair to let Atobe do his own thing because I can't just keep bothering him despite letting that delusional creep stalking me every week. Overall, I think spending time playing with you is ALL I need right now." He then stroked his cat on the head before handing him a chew toy to play with. Once that was done, Ryoma retired to bed for the night.

By the next morning, breakfast for Ryoma was still the usual since he wanted to have a light meal before he heads off to practice tennis with his friends at Seigaku. After he was finished, he grabbed his tennis equipment and meets up with Momo, Eiji, and Oishi along the way.

"Good morning guys, hope you all slept well." Said Ryoma.

"Good morning Oichibi, hope you had some fun with Atobe last night? If so, I think you really have made him happy already." Smiled Eiji as he hugged the boy tightly.

"Do you really have to do this early in the morning? I mean seriously!" groaned Ryoma.

"Why? I miss you, O-chibi! You're no fun." Said Eiji.

"I know, I missed you guys too, but the guys at Hyoutei have finally convinced me not to leave atobe no matter what happens. Besides, I still have to see him after he completes his date with Ann. I can see that they got a strong relationship together and will become a great couple together." Replied Ryoma.

"Really? Atobe finally has a girlfriend? Well good for him! That means he will stop coming after you for a while. Glad that you finally gave him some space. That guy finally has someone to keep him busy while you are practicing tennis. I am glad that you are finally letting go of your lover." Said Momo.

"What do you mean? Atobe never said to let me go. We are not breaking up anytime soon." Replied Ryoma.

"What will it take for you to understand that Atobe is not in love with you? Do you really think he can win your heart when he is falling for that girl from Fudomine?" said Eiji.

"He said he is still in love with me, but he said that he needs time to focus on his relationship with that girl first since he cannot spend time around me every single day. That's why he wanted me to take a break. So I had to respect his decision and his wishes. I have to admit, even I know my own limits when I'm around Atobe." Finished Ryoma.

"Oh, I see. So you are both still seeing each other from time to time and yet he wants to check out Ann. How deranged is that guy?" asked Taka.

"Not that deranged, I mean I can understand when Ann didn't take me as her lover, but seeing her going out with that diva from Hyoutei makes me wonder how did she even fall for a guy like that? I mean she didn't even text him her phone number or address unless she called him to come and pick her up to go to school." Added Momo.

"As a matter of fact, she did tell him her address, including her phone number so that they can keep in touch with each other." Put in Ryoma.

"Did she tell you that in person?" asked Eiji.

"I can tell you more about it when we get to school. We should really hurry or else we will be late for class and tennis practice." Replied Ryoma.

"You're right, but if we find out you're lying again, you owe us food big time!" said Momo as he grabbed the rookie and placed him in a headlock.

"Seriously? Is there anything else you can think of besides food?" groaned ryoma as he was being let go since he knows that these guys are really not playing with him. As they dashed off into the distance of Seigaku, they know that something big was about to happen between Atobe and Ann. After all, Ryoma has kept with him some of the messages and texts that those two have exchanged when they were in bed last night because he is planning to show them to everyone in all the schools so that they can get a kick out of this. Furthermore, Atobe would have a lot of explaining to do later on with his teammates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Looks like Ann has her reasons for texting Atobe so much since she really is in love with that guy. But really, her phone number and home address should have been kept private and not divulged in public. Oh well, looks like Atobe has a new stalker to contend with since he doesn't have to worry about going after Ryoma for a while.


	27. Forgiveness and A Fresh Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.

As Ryoma arrived at Seigaku, he could see Horio and the rest of his friends still working on picking up tennis balls while Arai and Ikeda were focusing on training some newbies who could barely even hit balls let alone practicing. Furthermore, Oishi and Fuji immediately changed into their jerseys before settling down on the tennis courts to warm up for a little bit. At this rate, they are already aware of what Ryoma has been doing with Atobe these days and they fully understood why Ann has decided to take over what that rookie couldn't finish. However, Ryoma was going to let this slide for now since he is the sort of person to receive forgiveness.

Right now, Ryoma is currently practicing his serves within the tennis courts with Momo and Eiji observing him since they have never seen him this focused on the sport after going out on so many dates. But above all else, Ryoma feels that Atobe made the right call in dating Ann since he knew that his time with the brat didn't last very long because his teammates feel that it was time for him to start seeing other people instead of just Ryoma because there is no way that the Seigaku Rookie should keep the spotlight to himself since he has to share it with other people even if it means that he has to double date again later on. Just then, Taka and Inui approached the group and said, "Echizen Ryoma, we are proud of you for taking your time off from dating to focus on tennis. But what made you change your mind at the last minute?"

"Well, you see. Oshitari and his cousin convinced me that Atobe has changed his schedules around since they made the right call not to let him spend every single day of his life with me which I can totally understand. Although this is a bit nerve-wracking, I cannot deny Ann the chance of dating him because I have to let her take over for me since she is willing to forgive that diva for all the trouble he caused her previously.

"How do you know that will happen? Did she text you or something, O-chibi?" asked Eiji

"No, but she wants me to trust her judgment this time since she made up her mind about dating Monkey king. At this rate, I feel that Fuji the matchmaker has made the right call as well." Replied Ryoma.

"You are trusting Fuji on this one? Tch! You traitorous monkey lover!" screamed Momo as he chased after the sniggering rookie.

"Yes, I do. So don't blame me for trying to send them to hell." Finished Ryoma as Momo paused to catch his breath since he couldn't catch up to the kid fast enough. As for Fuji, he just resumed practice with a satisfied look on his face while Oishi gave an exasperated sigh at the scene.

~/~

Back at Hyoutei, Oshitari Yuushi was just getting ready for classes when he sees Atobe down the hall smiling and humming crazily. He doesn't know what was going on and decided to take a look.

"Atobe, what are you so chipper about this early in the morning?" he asked.

"I am going to have a little practice match with Fudomine if I am planning to date Kippei's sister since we are not going to suffer from our humiliating defeat last time." Replied Atobe.

Shishido was probably thinking about getting himself stronger instead of that humiliating defeat because he knows that nothing good came out of that last match.

Shishido couldn't even believe at what he just heard with that look of disgust on his face, but Atobe has made up his mind about this match. "Today, Gakuto, you will be paired up with Choutaro and Shishido will be paired up with Yuushi. Kabaji, Jirou, and Hiyoshi will do singles. I expect each and every one of you to do your best not to embarrass my new lover out there." Smiled Atobe.

"Seriously? Why are you trying to pair me up with the silver pair? You know me and Yuushi are a perfect doubles pair together." Protested Gakuto.

"I have to agree with Mukahi-sempai on this because I want to know the reasoning of why you are trying to let the blue hair sempai work with me and mukahi is left with Choutaro." Questioned Shishido.

"Ore-sama knows what he is doing and you have to trust me on this one." Stated Atobe as he leaves his teammates without a word.

"What a pompous jerk." Said Shishido as he gritted his teeth.

"Gakuto, I am sure you will do just fine without me because I don't want to put you under a lot of stress today." Replied Oshitari.

"But sempai, you are not putting me under any stress at all. Are you not even that upset that we will not be pairing up together for the next match?" pouted Galuto.

"Why would Yuushi be upset at this? I think he seems to be happy with playing singles for a little while. Besides, he respects Atobe's decision and would never question it." Commented Hiyoshi.

"I don't fucking believe this shit! Yuushi, you would seriously abandon our partnership after we worked so hard to get this far? How could you do this to me?" shouted Gakuto as he marched out of the locker room in utter despair.

"Wait, Gakuto! I can explain! Please don't leave." yelled Yuushi. He then turned his attention towards Hiyoshi." You really need to keep those comments to yourself, mushroom head!"

Flashback: (From two weeks ago)

Keigo, what's up?" asked Ann

"Nothing, I am sure Gakuto is trying to slander my character and making false accusations on ore-sama." Replied Atobe as he tried to clear his mind of the migraines.

"I hope your team understands what a great buchou you really are." Said ann as she quickly leaned on Atobe's shoulder and gently rubbed his arms and massaged his hair.

"Ann, I think it's time that I made Gakuto someone else's responsibility." He smiled.

"I assume its Yuushi right?" replied Ann with a grin.

"You are so observant, just like my other lover Ryoma." Replied Atobe with a satisfied smile.

"I have an idea that might prove to be useful for your team. Next week…."

End Flashback

"That baka Yuushi, evil Atobe, bitch Ann….." complained Gakuto.

"Ummm, Mukahi-sempai, what does Ann from Fudomine have to do with all of this?" asked Hiyoshi.

Gakuto stared at Hiyoshi for a moment as if he had asked the most obvious question and in the red-haired acrobat's mind was, "anyone that spends that much time with An Tachibana cannot be considered normal or sane. I mean just look at that woman, thinking that she has so much potential to join our school and she ends up dating that pompous jerk."

Actually, I have to agree with Mukahi since Hyoutei isn't exactly what I would call normal. I mean we have an egotistic buchou, a narcoleptic, a guy that cannot speak more than two syllables, and a bad attitude slash bad temper acrobatic except for me and Shishido since I am betting that something in the tennis balls is making them act nuts.

Hiyoshi, are you still listening?" asked Mukahi.

Hiyoshi looked a bit embarrassed for a second and said, "Sorry about that, I was just--."

Gakuto immediately interrupted him since he was impatient. "Never mind about that now. Let's win against Fudomine."

"Mukahi-sempai, you might have misjudged Fudomine. They have three or more good players which means that they are going to let three of their best players to take the singles spot because Atobe wants to give the doubles a good light workout." Replied Hiyoshi.

"Well, that makes a lot of sense." Replied Gakuto.

"How is that not obvious to you? Anyone who was paying attention would have thought of that from the very start." Said Hiyoshi.

"Hey! I resent that. Besides, if you know that they are going to win, why are you still upset with the lineup anyway?" asked Gakuto with a look of curiosity on his face.

"Because if I was to take the number 1 singles spot I would have a better chance of winning. Unfortunately, Yuushi took the doubles spot instead since he likes playing doubles." Replied Hiyoshi with a frown.

"I on the other hand, would like the match to be over and done with since without my doubles partner, the game would not be fun." Finished Gakuto.

"Can you please stop thinking about playing doubles for a second and focus on working with Choutaro?" asked Hiyoshi.

"I guess I never thought of that before. All this time, I was only thinking about myself and no one else. But it makes sense to me to play doubles with choutaro for a while. I wonder how good he really is." Replied Gakuto

"Did you even ask Yuushi about what he wanted?" asked Hiyoshi out of the blue.

"What does he want the most from me?" replied Gakuto.

A few days later, the Fudomine team arrived at Hyotei's tennis court and they were awed at the differences between the teams. Furthermore Ibu and Akira were surprised that the lineups were changed. "Figures that Atobe was up to something when he changed his teammates around a little. It's pretty obvious that they got the advantage since they have the opportunity to practice. I wonder if our captain could change our lineups for a little bit. I mean it is not like we are asking him to build parking lots and what not, but I feel that our own team has been faltering a bit and--"

"Seriously? You need to stop drawing attention to yourself, you are scaring the Hyotei tennis players." Replied Akira. "besides, that pompous diva is still dating our Ann and this whole thing was her idea from the start."

"Is that a bad thing, Akira? I mean Ann has guts to date a guy like Keigo. Besides, scaring off our opponents is supposed to be a good thing." Finished Ibu.

"Just focus on the match, will you Shinji? Anyway, your opponent for today is Hiyoshi, the kendo master and gekokujo specialist." Replied Kamio.

"He doesn't look so tough. I mean didn't Ryoma crush him in a humiliating defeat and talked down about him previously?" stated Ibu.

"True, but the key word here is Syusuke Fuji since Jiro defeated his brother Yuuta in like a few minutes."

"Not so tough for me." Replied Ibu.

'It will be very hard to look threatening when he uses his special mov." Said Kamio.

"Of course, but I am not going to lose to Wakashi. Besides, you make very valid points." Stated Ibu.

"Hey, what do you mean by that? I always make great observations as I go along. I mean after all, Atobe always likes to call things the way he sees them." Finished Kamio in a defensive tone.

"All right then, everyone line up. We are facing off against Hyoutei and unlike last time, they are sending some of their toughest players so do not let your guard down." Announced Tachibana.

I think Tachibana has spent too much time with Ryoma Echizen from Seigaku.

"Hey Akira, did you notice that our buchou has been spending too much time with that brat Ryoma from Seigaku?" asked Ibu.

"I don't know, Ibu! I saw Ryoma dating our captain previously since they had a grand time together at his house. Besides, his sister welcomed that kid into the captain's house for a little drink and I think they had some intimate time alone together." Finished Kamio.

"What I do with Ryoma isn't your business. Besides, I only invited him because Atobe asked me to look after Ryoma for a while. We were not dating each other if that's what you are getting at." Replied Tachibana.

"Buchou! We didn't realized that you were in love with the brat." Said Kamio.

"Who said I was in love with him? We are just best friends that's all. Anyway, let's begin the match." Finished Tachibana.

As the match begins, it was quite obvious that Hyotei had the upper hand while Atobe was quickly beaming when he saw that his team had won both single matches with only one loss.

I am beginning to think that Hiyoshi has what it takes to be a captain. However, I can't believe that Jirou has lost again. But well, his punishment will be pushed back for a while. Right now the most anticipated match of the day will not be delayed.

Next up was Kabaji vs Tachibana.

"Kabaji, I didn't know you were playing singles." Said Tachibana.

"Usu." Said Kabaji,

Elsewhere, Shishido was glaring at Tachibana and wished that he was taking over Kabaji's spot so that he can get his revenge for the humiliating defeat last time. As the match continued, both are equally tied. However, Kabaji proved that he deserves the title of Tensai when he tricked Tachibana with his special move. Furthermore, Tachibana was surprised that Kabaji was able to focus on the sport with his mind turned off to other things.

There is no way that I can read Kabaji's moves since he can play without thinking of other things. I have to admit, he is truly an opponent that must not be underestimated.

At that moment, Atobe was stunned and he realized that he made the right choice in letting Tachibana fight kabaji. Once the match was over, Yuushi and Shishido mmoved up and faced off against Shinji and Akira and even their match was one sided with Yuushi dominating the whole game in his favor.

Maybe I was wrong about Yuushi, but I never realized that he has that much spirit for tennis. Maybe Atobe was right in putting him up with Shishid since I always dragged him down.

Once everyone congratulated Oshitari and Shishido on a job well done, he decided to step out of the tennis courts in order to find his doubles partner. By the next day, Gakuto was standing in line for the bowling match when he felt someone tapping him on his back.

"Yuushi! What are you doing here?" asked a surprised Gakuto.

"I thought you might want company." Replied Oshitari casually.

"How did you find me here anyway?" asked a suspicious Gakuto.

"A little bird told me where to find you." Replied Yuushi as he picked up a bowling ball and aimed it at the pins.

Gakuto was a bit disappointed before Oshitari continued. "I know you always come here to clear your mind of those unpleasant images when you are upset. When you and I first played doubles, you always take me here to celebrate after our win and said that bowling helps to clear the brain of headaches. I think your words are making me happy."

"I can't believe you still remember all that stuff from long ago." Said gakuto in disbelief.

"Gakuto, I remember everything you told me in the past." Finished Yuushi with a smile.

"Everyone, please gather up your partners to set the next round of the bowling matches, we are going to do two on two matches with your opponents." Announced the manager.

Oshitari smiled and picked up the ball again before knocking down more pins to get a strike and spare. As for Gakuto, he finally got a clear picture of why he likes to play doubles with yuushi so much.

Elsewhere Atobe took his binoculars and asked, "An, what do you have on your brother?"

"Oh it was nothing really, I just happened to took pictures of my brother wearing a leotard when he was four. It was so sweet to see how his mother used to dress Tachibana in girls clothes. I guess he must have done the same with Ryoma before they had me in their life."

The two of them laughed and shared a drink together since they do make a perfect couple together. However, in the bushes, Tachibana was flushed and flustered since he was really starting to get annoyed at his sister always invading his privacy. Furthermore, he immediately took a weed whacker and shredded the photos before grabbing a lighter and burned the rest of them. "I will show that upstart. How dare she choose Atobe keigo over me? I bet that sadist Fuji is behind this!" he thought to himself.

I know this is not my mother's fault, but I understand the pain that she must have felt when she gave birth to me and not Ann. However, why did my sister have to dress me up in such tawdry clothes in order to please my mom's desires? And worst of all, why did she take pictures of it with Ryoma? She knows for sure that he doesn't want to see me like this. Finally, why did she take Atobe's hand for a date? Ryoma was the perfect person for him!

That night, oshitari decided to have a little talk with his captain.

"Keigo, I have been thinking." Announced Oshitari out of the blue.

"About what?" asked Atobe.

"I was reading this article on love and apparently, some professionals seem to think that the best couples are made from people who had good partnerships with tennis players that played doubles together." Said Yuushi.

"Oshitari, you are plotting something, aren't you?" Asked Atobe with a smile.

"For the good of conscience, I think we shall test that theory out on you and Ann since you both never played doubles together for a long time. Furthermore, I do believe your little scheme with Ann seems to be bringing you guys closer together." Finished Oshitari.

"Oshitari, Ore-sama feels that your hypothesis is completely blatant with no proof. After all, me and Ann have already made the date official since we are a perfect couple together." Commented Atobe.

"I know that! But there are doubles players having a strong connection with their significant others that never played doubles before." Said Oshitari with a sadistic smile.

"Your idea does sound very interesting." Replied Atobe as he started considering Oshitari's proposal. "So, who did you have you mind?" asked Yuushi eagerly.

Atobe continued with his wide grin since it is not often that he gets to see his tensai friend s excited while hanging on to every word. "Oshitari, my friend. I think it's time we paid Tachibana a visit at his house again since we have the perfect guinea pigs for this experiment.

"Atobe, you don't mean…" begain Oshitari.

"Oh yes, in fact. I have been planning this for quite some time since I am certain that Ryoma and Ann will be perfect for each other." Announced Atobe with his sadistic smile.

"keigo, your mind is filled with dangerous plots." Said Oshitari as he shook his head before high-fiving him.

In the meantime, Ann and Ryoma were getting themselves ready for a little time of their own with their families. However, strong winds are picking up and a wave of dark cloud appeared out of nowhere. Now, Ann was not a big believer of superstitious things and decided to ignore the vibe that was overwhelming her senses before she continued her warmup exercises.

During that time, her brother looked up into the sky with tears in his eyes. "What are Atobe and Oshitari up to this time?"

"You will see soon enough, brother. Besides, I have Ryoma here waiting for the signal." Replied Ann with a smile on her face.

"What's going on? What are you talking about? And how did you invite Ryoma in my house?" asked a confused Tachibana.

"Like I said, check your phone." Said Ann as she went upstairs.

As Kippei checked his phone, he could hear a beeping sound. Furthermore, he realized that it was indeed from Yuushi Oshitari and after a second of consideration, he decided to sacrifice one of his managers and his best friend.

Ann and Ryoma, may god bless your poor souls, I am sorry, but this is for their own good because we need them to go to the devil himself.

Ryoma immediately starred at the giant mansion with Ann in town and wondered why Tachibana-buchou wanted him to come all this way to deliver a package to Atobe-buchou of Hyotei.

Shouldn't the captain deliver this to the post office himself? I cannot question my friend because I trust him completely. If he wants me here, then he has his reasons for it. After all, I am thinking too much aout the situation since it is not like tachibana buchou to send me all the way down here towards the doorstep of that devil himself.

Ding Dong!

"Please come in, Master Atobe has been expecting you guys." Announced one of Atobe's servants.

"Umm, Thank you very much." Said Ryoma as he entered atobe's big mansion.

Wow, this place is huge! No wonder Atobe is such a rich man. I mean look at how spotless this place is. I don't even want to know how many servants this place needs to keep it tidy.

"So, you must be that queen of tennis from Fudomine that I dated from before." Said Yuushi casually as he walked down the stairs.

"Thank you very much master. I can't believe how handsome you really look today. By the way, you already know my name as Ann Tachibana. Pleased to meet you." She said as she shook the blue haired tensai's hand.

"yes, I do remember you from Fudomine and you played a little bit of tennis with that buzzsaw kid from Seigaku." Said Yuushi.

"What does this have to do with Momoshiro?' asked Ann suspiciously.

"Nothing, really. Besides, Ryoma is just spending some quality time with my captain right now." Said Yuushi.

"Who is your captain?" asked Ann.

"You mean you dated him and still cannot remember his name? It's Keigo Atobe since he still has not left Ryoma despite calling him his boyfriend." Announced oshitari.

Oh god! Ryoma must be inside Atobe's room being tortured right now. I must save him.

"I hope you are treating Ryoma fairly up there." Said Ann doubtfully.

"Of course. It's not like my captain will take his life away." Replied Yuushi.

"Yuushi, How much longer do we have to walk before we reach Atobe's room?" asked Ann.

"not for much longer. It's just down the hall and to the left." Said Yuushi as he leads the girl towards his room for a few more minutes. Once there, Ann was stunned when she saw Ryoma and Atobe in bed together watching television and drinking juice. However, she was stunned to see ryoma wearing Atobe's pajamas and her eyes were wide open.

"Ann! What are you doing here?" asked Ryoma who was horrified.

"Ryoma, I was about to ask you the same thing. And why are you wearing Atobe's pajamas?" asked Ann.

"Well, he invited me here for a little fun time since there was nothing to do in my place. Besides, I was getting bored of my father always grilling me with tennis. Besides, I couldn't leave you all alone with your brother right?" replied Ryoma.

"Ahh Ann! How nice of you to join us. Come on in, we got plenty of space here." Said Atobe casually.

"Wow, you sure know how to put on a good show, Atobe. But still, I must ask, do you still love me?" asked Ann.

"Yes of course, I also love Ryoma as well because I had to make him dress up in the pajamas since he lost to me in the game of ping-pong. Therefore, it is customary for me to make sure he is properly secured with good looking clothes." Replied Atobe.

"yes, but I didn't know about this. I mean the only reason why I was here was to deliver a package of candy for you and…" started Ann.

"yes, exactly, I was supposed to drop off some care packages for you as well." Said Ryoma.

"Oh, thank you very much you guys. If you could, please put them on the table next to my nightstand. Now then, we shall continue our game since I need a winner here. And also Ann, my love, you are going to be mine forever!" said Ann.

Ryoma immediately groaned since this was not in his repertoire. "Tachibana-buchou! We trusted you and this is what you put us through? How could you do such a thing to us!" he thought to himself.

Atobe looked at Ryoma and shrugged his shoulder for their overdramatic display. "How many times do I have to tell you that we are gentle giants?" commented Atobe. "I just need you guys to fill out this questionnaire about love and then you are free to leave."

"Oh, of course." Said the duo as they grabbed the paper and pencil like their lives depended on it before filling out the form. As they scribbled the answers down to the last question, Ann glared at Ryoma for a moment before looking away.

"Here you go. Thank you very much for your patronage." Said Ann.

"No problems. But Ann, you have to spend the night at my place while I have one of my servants take Ryoma home." Smiled Atobe as he immediately grabbed Ann by her hand and dragged her into his bed.

"wait! Why do I have to sleep with you tonight? Won't my brother find out about this?" began Ann.

"Nah, don't worry. Tachibana Kippei is already aware of our little intimacy together so therefore, we are going to have a lot to do together as lovers." Replied Atobe as he unlocked the door for Ryoma as he changed clothes. Once that was done, Ryoma immediately dashed out of the door and walked into a car before it drove off. On the other hand, Ann was looking quite uncomfortable as she laid down on Atobe's bed in her pajamas despite not letting Ryoma look.

"I see, okay then. I forgive you for all the trouble you caused me previously and I can let this go. Now then, let the games begin!" said Ann as she grabbed Atobe by the collar and kissed him.

Fortunately, Ryoma arrived at Tachibana's house just in time and realized that he was the only on here. "Ryoma, I need to wash your clothes since there is no way you can get back home like this. Why don't you stay here for the night?"

"Sure, if it means for me to get away from Atobe for a while then I will do it." Replied Ryoma.

"Wonderful! Feel free to use the pajamas that you got from Atobe and we shall settle in for the night." Said Tachibana.

Back in the mansion, Ann immediately looked at Atobe with one eye and said, "I look really pretty, don't I?"

"You sure do. Looks like we might just be able to keep our relationship together as one." Smiled Atobe.

"You sure love to make girls fall for you, don't you buchou?" groaned Oshitari.

"I told you, tensai. All this time I am searching for love and I have found it. But still if Ryoma wants me to go for him, it's still his choice. I decided to have a little fun with him since the questionnaires are just a test to see if they are really compatible with one another." Finished Atobe.

"Yeah, but I think Ann is much more comfortable around you." Stated Oshitari as he tossed the questionnaires in the trash can since they already got the data they need on these two tennis players. Furthermore. Ann finally realizes that the people at Hyoutei wasn't so bad after all since she might consider giving Atobe another chance at love.

As for Ryoma, he didn't know what the point of the survey was and decided not to pursue the matter any further since he is certain that the guys at seigaku are planning to grill him with all sorts of questions in the weeks to come because he was certain that Fuji and Atobe must have planned this scheme together.

"Just you wait, Syusuke Fuji! I promise I will get you back for what you did to me. Mark my words!" thought Ryoma to himself as he fell fast asleep on the futon.


	28. Atobe's Proposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.

As Ryoma woke up the next morning, he wasn't sure if he was either dreaming after what happened last night at Atobe's villa. Furthermore, he could see karupin licking his face trying to keep him awake and focused on breakfast instead of that sadist fuji.

"Karupin, thank you for trying to comfort me, but I can easily handle this okay? Now then, you want breakfast?" he asked as he stroked the cat's fur.

"Meow!" the cat nodded in agreement. Once Ryoma changed into his school uniform, he rushed downstairs for breakfast and settled himself down at the table since he has no idea what was about to happen. Just then, nanako arrived and said, "I just got a call from your lover Atobe, and he is coming to pick you up to take you to school as always. And oh, I left the bread lightly toasted for you and your favorite scrambled eggs."

"Thanks, and also why is that lover stalking me so much? asked Ryoma.

"You mean you've been to his house many times and you still don't know why he is stalking you? Okay here is a hint: you've dated him previously and he uses the tannhauser serve, is it becoming clear to you now?" continued Nanako.

Ryoma was shocked at her response, "No way! You mean you have been in contact with that delusional diva? You sent that monkey king to my house to take me to school?"

"Why not? He is your date after all. Besides, it would be rude not to let the king of Hyoutei take you to school. And besides, Kevin already knows your secret so therefore, you cannot hide it for very long." Smiled Nanako.

"Seriously!? My god, Fuji Syusuke must have been behind this, wasn't he? Did he stop by at the house or call you to ask Atobe to come pick me up?" shouted Ryoma.

"You guessed it and still, Fuji has his ways to deceive you and trick you, but he still cares about you. Can't you at least appreciate what he is doing for you guys as a couple?"

Imagine Ryoma and Atobe being a couple, those two are really gay for each other, I swear those two would be really gay for each other soon.

"Nanako, can't you tell by now that Atobe and I are just friends and not couples? All he did was just throw me a questionnaire yesterday asking me if I was a perfect match for Ann. However, we realized that it was just a little test and we passed it with flying colors. Furthermore, I think Atobe has set his heart out on An because she is attracted to him."

"you're quite right, my friend. I am attracted to An." Said the voice outside of Ryoma's house. At that moment ryoma realized who it was and crossed his arms. "You can come in now, I know you are here to pick me up since I recognize your voice from anywhere." Smiled Ryoma.

"You are totally observant you know that, my dear sweet prince?" said atobe as he opened the door.

"Seriously Monkey King, we are just friends and not lovers. I mean you already dated Ann already, why do you keep coming after me?" grunted ryoma

"Brat! Ore-sama will date anyone that he pleases and like I said, a part of you will still be with me even if it means that you are going to be my boyfriend while me and ann are going to be future husband/wife together. You on the other hand, will be my bridesmaid. I think that should about cover everything on love." Smiled Atobe. "Now then, shall we head to school? My driver cannot wait for you."

"Atobe, I can easily walk to school you know, but thanks anyway." Said Ryoma. But just as he was about to bolt out the door, Atobe immediately grabbed his hand and carried him into the car while Nanjiro and nanako waved back. But No matter how hard Ryoma tried to struggle to free himself, atobe just refused to let him leave since this was his chance to officially take back what rightfully belongs to him.

"Ore-sama will see to it that you get to class safely while I handle other important matters with my teammates. Anyway, we're here at Seigaku. So, can you please tell Kevin that Ann and I are going to keep this date official? Besides, we don't want Shinji and Kippei to find out that I am still seeing Ann.

"I am afraid that I have already become aware of your little relationship with Ann, Keigo-sama." Said a mysterious snake like voice.

"Ah, Syusuke fuji, how good of you to come by so quickly, I just stopped by to drop Ryoma at school before I head to Hyoutei for a very important club meeting. Anyway, yes me and Ann have made our relationship public and I also made sure that the brat would also be willing to participate in our little get-together later on. Besides though, I would keep my word that no part of Ann's body will be violated, you can count on that," finished Atobe.

"Saa! I will hold you to that. And thanks again for sending Ryoma to Seigaku, much appreciated." Smiled Fuji.

"No problems, and I will come by later to pick him up and take him to meet up with Kei and Kite later on in the street courts since they are dying to have a rematch with the prince and a handsome king like me." Said Atobe as he drove off into the direction of Hyoutei Academy.

Once Ryoma enters the tennis courts for his warm-up session, he could already see Kikumaru and the male mother of the team, Oishi, working on their formations and Inui perfecting his drinks. At this point, Ryoma feels that he has to keep his game up if he wants to take on the world cup later on. But given the current strength that he has right now, he doesn't stand a chance against Byoudoin. Just then he could see the golden pair waving at him.

"Ryoma, hurry up and get changed, it's time for the doubles match. You are paired up with Momo for this first round so you better get in tip-top shape!" called Eiji

"I will be right there!" shouted Ryoma as he entered the locker room. By the time he came out with his jersey at the ready, he approached the courts where Momo was waiting and said, "Sorry, I am late guys. But last night was one hell of a party at Keigo's house and you wouldn't believe who sent me there."

"You were at Atobe's house yet again? Seriously, you Lucky bastard! What did you do, pay to have sex with that delusional diva in bed?" grinned Kaido

"We didn't have sex in bed, Ann was the only person in bed with that lunatic while Shinji and Kippei just sat there and watched the whole thing unfold. Besides though, me and Ann were filling out a questionnaire to see if we were compatible for each other. And to Yuushi's surprise, me and An were perfect for each other and so we didn't have sex in the bed, she was merely kissing Atobe." Boasted Ryoma.

Everyone looked at him with shock and awe, while Fuji just stood behind the scenes giggling like a complete idiot and not caring. However, he immediately shot a text for Atobe and said that everything was going according to plan. And just to make sure Ryoma doesn't screw everything up, Fuji made sure to let the teammates keep an eye on him and his activities that are going on. As for Ryoma, he doesn't seem to like the idea of letting people monitor his activities every single day because he feels that being stalked by people doesn't make his life any easier. But as the kid continued tennis practice, he notices that there are watchful eyes all over the place and decided to ignore it.

After practice was over, Ryoma walked into the cafeteria for some lunch. While he waited in line, he could notice that everyone else were either laughing or giggling to each other about Ryoma's little love life since the rumors were spreading like crazy. At this rate, Ryoma would need a plan of his own to stop everyone from meddling in his little love life since he doesn't want the world to know who he has been sleeping with

"Why does everyone here have to go and tell their friends about whom I dated? Is it really their business to know? I mean I did nothing to deserve this, why did Fuji set me up like that? I know he can be sweet and caring, but did he really have to go overboard here? Come on now! It's not like that sadist will win the lover of the year award for getting the most attractive women. Furthermore, I highly doubt that Yukimura and Kuranosuke will support him in the long run. Anyway what is that fool thinking? If my secrets are revealed, I would become a laughingstock of Seigaku and Hyoutei all together. It's time for me to put a stop to this." Thought ryoma to himself as he settled down at a table next to Taka and Inui. Unfortunately for him, the troubles didn't end there as Inui immediately poured the kid one of his special vegetable tea, which shocked him to the core. No one else noticed anything happening and none were able to help Ryoma get out of that sticky situation.

"Inui-sempai, what is that drink? Kindly give it to someone else please! I don't have the stomach for this." Protested Ryoma.

"Oh, but you are missing out on the essential protein and vitamins. You will need them if you plan to continue your quest for love and marriage." Glinted Inui evilly.

"Inui-sempai!" shouted Ryoma. "For the last time, I am not marrying Atobe okay? Dating is the only option here because me and Atobe are still seeing each other as friends on a weekly basis. Furthermore, he sometimes has to cancel his reservations of trips and certain appointments with his family or other clients and putting them on different days. He is always like that, you know? There is no telling when he will take breaks because he is all over the place." Replied Ryoma as he calmed himself down before eating his lunch.

"Atobe is a man of his words you know? He has plenty of time to spare with you so don't be too stubborn. After all, you are the prince of love and you are certain to win his heart one day, so don't you forget it. Besides, you need to drink this drink to prove yourself worthy." Continued Inui as he sets the cup of tea next to ryoma's tray. However, Ryoma refuses to take it and said, "sorry, Inui-sempai. I don't want to insult your hard work, but that drink really is not good for my health. Besides, I need something that can keep my body in tip top shape so the milk and orange juice will definitely do it."

"Saa! Are you sure about this, Echizen-sama? If you don't drink this special tea, then I will have to tell Atobe to give your immune system a jump start when we get home. Make no mistake; his drinks are a lot worse than what Inui has to offer. So if I were you, I'd drink it immediately. Or do you want me to send you to Renji's place and have him use you as his experimental lab rat?" Ryoma could see that Fuji was deadpanning him with that dark aura of his and he immediately became uncomfortable with that look.

"Okay! Okay! I will drink it, geez! But if I have gastric problems, it will be on your head, fuji-sempai!" said Ryoma angrily as his veins started popping. Over on the other side, he could hear Momo and Eiji laughing while Oishi tried his best not to make a joke out of this. As Ryoma took the cup, he immediately took several sips before clutching his stomach and rushed out of the cafeteria into the bathroom. At that moment, Ryoma immediately deadpanned and pounded the wall in anger and disgust. Once he finished taking care of his business in the bathroom, he stormed back into the cafeteria and made a deadly glare at Fuji and Inui.

"Mark my words, you will pay dearly for making me drink that vile concoction! How is that going to help me win my love for atobe?" ryoma deadpanned at them.

"You got guts, you know that O-chibi? I have to commend you for taking the drink, well done!" smiled Eiji as he patted the kid's shoulder while Momo gave him a noogie, which made him even more uncomfortable as he sighed in embarrassment.

"Seriously guys! Why am I always being abused by you people? These pranks are seriously getting old!" groaned Ryoma.

"Come on now! Brat! The drink can't be that bad. And besides, you were pretty daring anyway. Now then, shall we head back to practice?" said momo as he and the rest of the team raced back to the tennis courts with Ryoma following close behind them since there will be hell to pay on the courts. Once practice resumed, Ryoma decided to practice with Oishi for a bit since he was the only person that cares about the kid a lot after seeing what he just ingested in the cafeteria earlier. Furthermore, Oishi clearly knows that drink was risky for a youngster to take and he could have stepped in, but he decided to let that slide for now. As he served the ball back towards Ryoma, the raven-haired teen sent it back without problems and the scores were tied at 30 each. But after Ryoma won the first set, he was certain to win the second set. However, his next opponent was his rival Fuji Syusuke, whom he loathed so much.

"I will defeat you this time, Fuji-sempai and I promise you, I will make you pay dearly for what you did to me back there!" said Ryoma.

"Relax, my dear prince. Come at me with full force, and I will show you my true power." Said Fuji with a sadistic smile on his face. However, Ryoma wasn't impressed as he served the ball towards his sempai and he easily returned it without flinching. Furthermore, the brown-haired senior had other abilities that can be used to level the playing field. As the match went onward, Ryoma had showed off some powerful abiltiies with his Drive A and Drive B shots as his front line of defense. After a while, Fuji sat down to take a break since he can't seem to keep up with Ryoma's strength and stamina.

"What's the matter, Fuji-sempai? Can't take the heat? I would like to keep on playing you." Said Ryoma as he sat down for a relaxing drink of water while drying off his sweat with a towel.

"Nah, I will let you take the win since I can't seem to keep up with you. And I will also remind Atobe not to make you eat anything fried next time around since I noticed that you had diarrhea earlier." Smiled Fuji.

"How did you know that?" asked Ryoma shockingly.

"Well, judging by the data that I collected from Inui, I can clearly see that you have eaten something very unhealthy. Therefore, as your sempai, I recommend you eat healthier foods that are low fiber and full of nutrition. You will need it to keep your strength up. Anyway though, school is already over. Do you need a ride home? My sister is coming to pick us up soon." Said Fuji as he gathered up his tennis gear and his backpack before closing the door on his way out.

"Sure, thanks fuji-sempai. Are you also going to see if your brother is coming home or so?" asked Ryoma.

"Nah, he is still staying at the dorms, but I will be more than happy to let him know that you wanted to play him in a match later. Anyway, my ride is here, let's go!" said Fuji as he accompanied his kouhai into the car and they drove off towards Ryoma's house. Once there, the raven-haired kid thanked his sempai and went inside the house, but not before he waved at his father as he was reading more of those girl magazines. Furthermore, Ryoma ignored the pervert and took off his shoes before heading over to the kitchen to feed his cat Karupin. Once that was done, he could hear some music blasting in his room and decided to check it out. As he entered his room, he was shocked to find a visitor on his bed.

"Monkey King? What the hell are you doing at my house?" asked a shocked Ryoma.

"Brat! Is that anyway to treat a guest? Ore-sama reminds you to use manners when you have a visitor. Anyway, how was school?" asked Atobe.

"Atobe, school was good, but what are you doing here at my house anyway?" asked Ryoma.

"Fuji-sempai told me everything and it seems that I have to remind my servants to make you something that are not so deep-fried next time around since they overcooked the foods when you were at my place. Sometimes I have to constantly remind them not to go overboard when they are in the kitchen, but they are too careless." Grunted Atobe.

"Well, the food was okay, but still though, you got to give them credit for trying. Besides, they did the best they could, but I am sure they can improve next time around when I visit your house again in the near future." Said Ryoma as he hopped into the bed next to Atobe.

"I like your way of thinking, Ryoma! Besides, we don't want you to eat anything that goes bad now, would we?" smiled Atobe as he kissed his prince on the forehead.

"No way, I would never want anything bad happening to my health." Replied Ryoma as he returned the kiss while hugging each other. Outside of Ryoma's house, Yuushi, Shishido, and Kippei watched in shock at what just transpired in the Echizen household.

"What the fuck are those two doing? Atobe wasn't supposed to be kissing that brat!" groaned Shishido.

"He still loves him to this day no matter what happens, so we cannot tell him not to break up with Ryoma right now. I am certain that Fuji and Atobe must have come to an agreement on not making that brat's life miserable since he drank some sort of a concoction given to him by Inui-sempai earlier this morning. I think he must have suffered from some sort of an upset stomach and taking his time to let it out in the crapper. Afterwards, Fuji-sempai was concerned and conceded the match of tennis before calling Atobe up to say that his servants needs to change the food menus around a little bit next time. I never realized Fuji to be so sadistic, but he seems to care about that brat a lot. No wonder he and Atobe have feelings for him. You know, I feel so relieved to let Fuji stay at my place over the last few weeks since he has been so helpful to me." Said yuushi dreamily.

"Wow, Yuushi-sempai, I never knew you liked Fuji-sempai so much. I must admit, even I am at a loss for words. Also I have been informed that Gakuto will most likely be pissed off if he sees you cheating on him. I would assume that he might quit the team most likely." Added Kippei.

"Who told you that my partner was quitting tennis? He shares a bed with me at my mansion you know! Besides, I would never turn on my partner because that would not be considered good sportsmanship. As always, even if he was a damsel in distress, I have to come to his rescue as long as he can control his temper." Finished Yuushi.

"I see, so you really do have a soft side after all. No wonder you care a lot about your kouhais and you are not as strict as Sanada is since he can easily lose his temper with Akaya. No offense taken, right, Genichirou? I know you are hiding behind that tree." Said Kippei as he crossed his arms.

Sure enough, the grumpy hotheaded sempai and seaweed head appeared without any hesitation and was impressed by Kippei's deduction.

"Oi, Tachibana-sempai, you are so unpredictable. How did you know I was here?" asked Sanada.

"I can easily sense that someone else was here besides Hyoutei. So, we decided to stop by Ryoma's house. Furthermore, we just saw Atobe kissing Ryoma again when he already promised my sister that he would fall for her soon. But it seems that he still can't seem to let go of Ryoma." Finished Kippei.

"I see, so Atobe is actually falling for that brat and your sister at the same time? What the hell is that lunatic doing? I guess I am going to have to take action and remove him from the house before he embarrasses the public with his nonsense." Said Sanada as he entered the Echizen's residence.

Back in the control room, Gakuto was blushing red and thought to himself, "I knew you wouldn't betray me, Yuushi-sempai! I take back everything bad I ever said about you and maybe after school is over, perhaps I can treat you to some ice cream later on. Maybe staying with Yuushi-sempai isn't so bad after all."

As for Kenya, he didn't want to know what was going on with his cousin since he couldn't care less about that acrobat sleeping in the same bed with his doubles partner. However, he was certain that Atobe would definitely get into a lot of trouble when Genichirou showed up unexpectedly. He was willing to see how this will all play out in the end.

When genichirou knocked on the door, he could hear a man whistling a mysterious tune as he opened the door and said, "Yes, can I help you my dear old madam?"

Genichirou immediately turned pale red at the sight of Nanjiro in his bizarre state since he noticed that the man was not walking properly while holding a cup of sake in his hand. Thinking quickly, he immediately took the cup and set it down on the table before helping the drunk bastard towards the couch so he can sleep it off. "Nanjiroh-sama, pardon us for the intrusion, but it seems that you are not your usual self today. Why don't I take you upstairs so that you can rest?" Nanjiroh nodded as he slowly goes upstairs towards his room.

Soon, Akaya took off his dirty shoes and set them outside because he didn't want to stink up the house as long as he was wearing slippers. Once nanjiroh was set in bed, Genichirou placed a blanket on Nanjiroh before dashing towards Ryoma's room and pounded on the door.

"Keigo Atobe! I know you are in there! What you're doing to that brat is highly inappropriate, now come out of there or else I will drag your ass out of the room!" shouted Sanada.

Atobe immediately got out of the bed and opened the door. To his surprise, he was smiling yet again after seeing Sanada. "Ah, Genichirou, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Cut the funny talk, keigo! What are you doing at the brat's house in the early hours of the evening? I hope you guys are not having sex in that bed because I do not want to see any of your semen all over the premises! Geez, get a hold of yourself! What has gotten into you lately?" boomed Sanada.

"If you must know, I am not having sex with Ryoma. I just showed up here thanks to Fuji-sempai and he wanted me to check on the brat to see how he was doing." Replied Atobe as he put his clothes on.

"Oh really, by climbing onto his bed and kissing him? Is that what you would call checking on his well-being? Let me ask you, who are you really falling for, Ryoma Echizen or Kippei's sister?" asked Genichirou.

"What is wrong with kissing him in bed? I have to say, you must not have gotten my message on your phone lately. I clearly stated that I am in love with both of them. They are like a brother and sister that I never had. So once they do get married, they will be a part of my family soon. Besides, I will still see them go on more dates with other people later on" finished Atobe.

"Okay, I am a little confused. Are you saying you are letting Ryoma and Ann see each other while dating other students? You mean you are setting them up to date people that are older than them? Wow! Are you sure you are all right? I mean this is a big step towards starting a family for those two brats. Are you sure that they are ready to do this?" continued Genichirou

"Well, in my mind, yes I think they are ready. If this is successful, then Ann will be our fiancé sooner or later and she will hereby become betrothed to the Keigo household. Then the festivities can truly begin and very soon, Nanjiro will be a grandfather and those two teens will have brother and sister-in-laws together in the same household. I think it's a great idea." Laughed Atobe.

"You must be either deranged or just simply crazy! Imean do you really understand what it takes to be a parent? Ryoma and Ann are not even close to adulthood and they are going to have to go through signs of puberty and maturity. Do you realize how long that will take? Besides, are you even sure that those two brats can handle whacky kids in your house? I mean what will your parents say if they find out about your devious plan? You better have a good explaination for this!" Genichirou was not amused by this as he continued shouting while Atobe rubbed his temples to clear the migraines out of his head.

Akaya sweat-dropped and wasn't sure when his fuku-buchou would stop shouting until he decided to step in and interrupt their conversation. "atobe-sama, I don't mean any disrespect, but are you really sure you can handle those two rascals? I mean what did you and Fuji do to them last night when they were at your house?"

"Oh, we just made them fill out a form to see if they are able to make love with each other and to my surprise, they are perfectly compatible with one another. I guess I am going to have to see if Kevin Smith and Sakuno Ryuzaki are capable of doing the same thing as well. Perhaps those two would be able to go on a first impression date as long as they can prove themselves worthy. Now then, if there is nothing else, I should get home and prepare the forms for Kevin and Sakuno. I also have asked Yuushi's family to come and pick them up at the gates of Seigaku next weekend so that they will not be late for my love session. See you later, genichirou! And Ryoma, study hard okay? I will be back to check on your progress soon." And with that, Atobe immediately dashed downstairs and headed home.

Once Ryoma breathed a sigh of relief, he turned his attention towards the Rikkaidai senior and seaweed head and said, "What just happened back there? And did Monkey King just say that he was going to be marrying Ann tachibana? And what are you guys doing at my house?"

"We had to put your drunk old man to bed. I am afraid that he might marry that girl. Now, I am not sure what Momo and Kamio will say to this if you tell them. So I do believe they are at the control room playing xbox right now. Do you want me to take you to them?" asked Genichirou.

"yeah, I might be able to clear up this confusion sooner than later." Said Ryoma as he headed outside with his sempais following close behind. As he reached the room, he opened the door and saw Momo and Kamio gluing their eyes on the screen and said, "Hey guys, you are not going to believe this. I think me and Ann are having a thing for each other."

"I see, so you must be dating her and…. " began Momo. Suddenly, Kamio, dropped his controller and turned around, grabbing Ryoma's shirt collar and said, "You are dating my girlfriend from Fudomine? Are you kidding me!? Who told you that you can steal my girl away?"

"Atobe-sama has made that decision and frankly, he thinks that Ann and I are going to get married in the near future since he wants that girl to be my fiancé. At first, I didn't want to believe him, but he was being serious. I am not even sure what to say to that, but honestly, he has become infatuated with me and that girl." Said Ryoma nervously.

"OH NO YOU DON'T! There is no way that me and Momo can approve of this. Momo, put the game controller down and listen! Atobe has just forced Ann to marry a brat from your school, are you going to let this happen? Please do something to stop them from getting betrothed before things go out of control! They are not ready to become parents just yet!" shrieked Kamio as he shooked his friend by his t-shirt.

"Geez, calm down, kamio! What has gotten into you lately? Now, I am sure that there is a better explanation for all of this confusion. We can easily ask Yuushi to see if he has any information next week when we go to Atobe's villa. After all, Yuushi can't hide anything from us since he can easily detect almost anything that his captain has to say. And besides, Atobe might be crazy at times, but I am sure he is just trying to teach ryoma the true meaning of adulthood. I am sure you don't have a problem with that right?" said Momo as he gently patted his friend's shoulder.

"We shall see if that is true. And also Ryoma, if Atobe really wants you to marry Ann, then you better take good care of her. If anything bad happens to her, I will never forgive you! Do I make myself clear?" warned Kamio.

Ryoma was stuttering a bit and said, "crystal clear!"

"Good, now that that's out of the way, would you like to join me in a game of Halo?" asked Kamio.

"Sure, if it will help me get away from Atobe for a while, then I will be more than happy to face you in this game!" smiled Ryoma as he took the controller and started the match.

Elsewhere on the couch, genichirou sighed and groaned in disappointment after listening to what Atobe said. Furthermore, it was like he was suffering from nightmares and stress disorders. But luckily, Akaya grabbed an electoral fan from one of the rooms and sets it down next to his fuku-buchiou before turning it on at full power in order to cool him down.

"Thank you very much Akaya-san. It feels good to finally cool down after that rant I unleashed on Atobe." Said sanada.

"you are welcome, is Ryoma really going to marry Ann?" asked Akaya.

"Nah, they might do it in the near future when that brat turns 30. But we shall wait and see." Finished Genichirou.

Ann and Ryoma getting married? That's the first time to hear this from Atobe. I wonder what they will name their kids when they are born? And how will Yukimura take this? I am betting that he and Kuranosuke will have a field day with those two lovevbirds if this marriage proposal will take place. After all, Ryoma and Ann really seem to care a lot about each other, but Ann doesn't know what she will be experiencing in the near future when she asks for Ryoma's hand in marriage.


	29. Major Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one? How will the other schools assist them on their so called quest for love and will An Tachibana be of assistance to our heroes?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.

By the time Genichirou finished unleashing holy hell on Atobe, things have finally quieted down at Ryoma's place, but Atobe feels that it is necessary to make some changes for the brat since he is at his wits end about leaving that narcissistic diva for good. Unfortunately, Ryoma found that task to be difficult to do with An Tachibana coming into the picture. Furthermore, with a marriage proposal coming up, Ryoma wondered how An was going to take this and especially, his teammates from Seigaku since they have no idea that Atobe had planned something big for himself.

As Ryoma paced around his house with atobe watching from the side, the diva immediately got up and took the kid downstairs and settled him down on the couch to relax for a bit before heading towards the kitchen to make some coffee since none of them have gotten much sleep after last night. Furthermore, Keigo took it upon himself to make some changes in Ryoma's lifestyle in order to improve his chances to find love because this would give the brat a chance to become a better tennis player later on.

"What do you say to a little tennis match in your backyard, kid?" asked Atobe.

'Sure, but what for though?" replied Ryoma.

"Well, you wanted to beat Byoudoin right? This is a practice round to see if you have what it takes to defeat that Tennis Geek since he already defeated Tokugawa not too long ago. Therefore, I wanted to test your strength to see what you can do. Follow me to the backyard!" ordered Atobe as he handed Ryoma the tennis racket and shuffled out of the house.

Once Ryoma followed Atobe to the backyard with his tennis equipment, he decided to warm up for a little bit before beginning his practice match. No sooner than that, Atobe immediately walked over and said, "Ryoma, you don't need to warm yourself up now. Show me what you got!" he smirked at him as he moved the balls aside while he took out some balls from his duffle bag and tossed one of them at Ryoma. But as he returned the serve, Atobe grabbed his racket and sends the ball back to him while ryoma swiveled in all directions to send the ball back to his opponent without stopping.

"Atobe, what is the meaning of this?" asked Ryoma as he continued firing the tennis balls.

"This is to test your concentration to see if you have the necessary requirements to take on that tennis pro in the world cup. Don't worry as we are only practicing, not scoring points. Take your time sending the balls towards me." Said Atobe.

"Is this practice really necessary? I mean if you are trying to change my lifestyle in tennis, I am humbly grateful. However, I like my tennis style the way it is so there shouldn't be any changes made." Replied Ryoma.

"Sorry, but given the current skills you have right now, you are not going to get past the world cup. As your lover and teacher, I have to teach you some advanced techniques. Furthermore, you've already seen my tannhauser serve, right? Well now it's time for me to show you Atobe Kingdom since I can easily trap my opponents in this technique, thereby allowing their bodies to have their own dead angles. This is known as Zettai Shikaku (or the Absolute Blind Spots) in which your joints are not able to conform because the skeletal structure can only move in certain ways no matter what their speed or flexibilities are. Furthermore, in my earlier match with Tezuka, I have seem his blind spot and timed my shots and movements as this technique acts up, rendering him unable to move, do you understand?" said Atobe.

"Interesting, so would you like to try it out on me first Imean I could probably get used to this since we are only practicing." Smiled Ryoma/.

"Are you sure? Because you might not be able to see where I will hit the ball." Warned Atobe. "Furthermore, I might knock you unconscious if I use this technique."

'I am perfectly fine with whatever you throw at me. Bring it on!" said Ryoma confidently.

At that moment, Atobe grinned at him with killing intent and said, "Okay, you asked for it. But at any time if you feel uncomfortable, just let me know!" With that Atobe grabbed the racket in one hand and launched the illusion onto Ryoma while he was in his stance. He then picked up a ball and fired it in Ryoma's general direction. Although the kid couldn't tell where the ball was going, he knows that it was coming towards the left side as he moved slowly while using Gekokujo to intercept the ball back towads his opponent without exerting too much strength. Once the technique wears off, the ball struck the bell behind Atobe before landing on the ground.

Atobe had no idea what just happened as he continued sending the ball back to his opponent with his tannhauser serve while Ryoma used drive A to counter it, leaving him no chance to return the ball.

"You're good, for a rookie. Furthermore, how were you able to dodge my illusion anyway? Don't tell me you used one of Hiyoshi's techniques?" began Atobe.

"As a matter of fact, I did. Thanks to your Kingdom technique I was able to see through the darkness and intercept the ball even without the use of my mental capabilities. Furthermore, I've already seen through what you were about to do and took full control of the court. Besides though, this is only the beginning of my painful torture that I will unleash on Byoudoin later on." Said Narto as he gritted his teeth.

Atobe looked at him and frowned, "Naruto, what makes you so sure that you can beat him? You have no idea what sort of hell he could unleash on you." Continued Atobe.

"If there is a hell, then I will be more than happy to join him since a lot of other innocent tennis players had suffered the same fate as me." Replied Ryoma sadly before exiting the tennis courts to get some water with Atobe following him close behind. Elsewhere, Nanjiro watched from behind the bell tower and thought to himself, "He certainly has grown to like Atobe, hasn't he? Makes me wonder if he really has what it takes to keep that diva out of trouble."

Soon, Atobe could hear his cell phone ring and as he checked, he could see Jiro on the line and picked up, "Hello, Atobe speaking."

"Hey Keigo-sama, Its Jiro, just wanted to see if you still have feelings for me after your little deranged love fest with Ryoma and Ann last night." Said Jiro.

"What are you talking about, Akutagawa? My love with Ann and Ryoma are mutual and of course the love fest is just a test. By the way, you should have seen what Genichirou did to me last night I mean think of all that hell he unleashed on me." Continued Atobe.

"What did Sanada do to you?" asked Jirou.

"He feels that I spent too much time with Ryoma and that he needs to let the brat find someone else to fulfill his love mission instead of letting him hang around me so much. However, I don't feel this is necessary because I care about that brat too much. Now I have ann after me since she is also obsessed with a guy like me. I have to tell you, I can't even get the images of those two brats off my back after they passed their questionnaires." Continued Atobe.

"What else did he say?" asked Jirou with a frown.

"He said that Ryoma is far too young to get betrothed to a guy like me. But at his age, I think Ryoma is old enough to be a part of my life. Besides, I think of him and Ann as siblings that I never had. So, it would be more comforting for me if I was to look after them once they finish school." Finished Atobeas he smiled while giving an exasperated sigh.

Jirou paused for a moment to wipe the sweat from his brows before taking a water bottle from Gakuto and said, "You know, keigo, you should be a love doctor since you are an expert at helping people with marital and relationship problems. However, since you are a victim of Genichirou's verbal abuse, I should probably refer you to Kuranosuke Shiraishi since he is called a miracle healer. Furthermore, he knows about what people are going through mentally and physically. So if you have time, feel free to stop by at Shitenhouji on Tuesday." Said Jirou.

"Really? Well, thank you Akutagawa. I will make a mental note of this. Do you have Kuranosuke's phone number?"

"Check your contact list, I think he should be under Miracle Healers on your phone. Anyway, I need to go. Gakuto is begging me to train him on how to play laser tag so that he can get Shishido back for trying to steal Yuushi away from him. I will see you at school." Said Jiroh as the line goes dead.

At that moment, Atobe grinned devilishly and rushed inside Ryoma's house to gather his equipment since Jirou's advice gave him a chance to turn everything around since this was his chance to finally have a family. However, he was wondering how his parents will take this when he gets home. Furthermore, Atobe texted his butler and told him to prepare a well-deserved feast upon his family's return from business since he has a lot of things to discuss with them. Once the butler agreed, Atobe immediately hugged ryoma and said, "Looks like we are not going towards the path to hell just yet. I got a call from my teammate Jirou and he asked me to see Shiraishi of Shitenhouji next week because he is a master at healing people's minds. I think you are familiar with him?"

"Yes, I know him pretty well since he has the ability to discipline jungle boy when he gets too rowdy. Why?" said Ryoma.

"Well, you remember how Sanada fuku-buchou went all high and mighty on me? Well guess what? I will be seeing Kuranosuke next week since he can help heal the pain and suffering that I am going through. You must come with me after school because there is a chance that we could be together as a family. I wonder how Ann will feel about this?" smiled Atobe.

"Yes, and if I know Sanada, he is a downer most of time since he did cross the line a little bit. I think he was a bit too overprotective of me. However, I would love to hear whatever Shiraishi-sempai has to say during his health sessions next week. Anyway, do you want to stay for dinner?" asked Ryoma.

"Oh, no thanks. But maybe another time. Besides, my family is looking forward to hearing what I have to say when I get home. Anyway, I will see you next week!" smiled Atobe as he signaled his driver to pick him up. Once he was off towards the distance, Ryoma waved back and headed towards the dinner table for a little food before retiring towards bed for the night.

Once morning came, Ryoma got up early to prepare for his practice session with his teammates since he had no idea what Shiraishi might actually do for the duo that are going to be falling in love since he is fully aware of Atobe dating the kid ever since they laid eyes on each other. But now with Ann in the picture, this could complicate things because Shiraishi doesn't know much about the queen of tennis from Fudomine and how she was personally connected with the King of Hyotei. At this poimnt, Shiraishi was going to have his work cut out for him. Just then, Yuushi's cousin Kenya showed up at his office and said, "Boss, what time shall I set the counseling session for Keigo and Ryoma?"

"around 2:30 pm should do it since they are busy with tennis practice now. I am sure Atobe is probably trying to think of ways to rile his teammates up at Hyotei. He is always like this no matter what happens." Said Shiraishi while grinning.

Back at Seigaku, Ryoma was busy working on the tannhauser serve towards his American Rival kevin since he has changed a lot after the previous match in the selection camp. However, kevin was prepared for anything that Ryoma throws at him.

"Give me your best shot, Ryoma-san! I want to see how much you have improved since your date with that Egomaniacal jerk.' Said kevin.

"Hey, whatever floats your boat. Here I come!" said Ryoma as he gets ready in his stance and unleashes his sadistic smile while firing the ball back towards his opponent. Soon kevin could see that Ryoma was actually being serious this time around and he wasn't joking. At that moment, Kevin realized that something must have changed with his best friend and decided to ask, "What's gotten into you today? You are not your usual self."

"Well, after a little talk with Atobe, he actually taught me a few new moves. I must say, I was quite impressed with the use of Atobe's Kingdom since it could work wonders for me when I take on Byoudoin later on in the world cup. So I just wanted to get a taste of my new powers and see what it will be like to trap my rival inside this illusion. I wanted him to get a taste of what hell really looks like after what he did to my friend and brother Tokugawa." Replied Ryoma as he continued firing the ball back

"Are you still worried about that high school prodigy? I thought he was done with you after the U-17 camp." Added Kevin.

"Nah, it seems that he still wants me to carry on the tradition of tennis after his utter defeat at the hands of Byoudoin. Besides though, he has already seen how well I had progressed with my tennis skills and decided to put me under his tutelage. After that I was pretty much on my own for a change since I wanted to practice. However, with all the noises coming from the annoying fangirls, I couldn't train on my own. Luckily with you here, we can finally practice in peace without hearing too much whining and yakking from the girls at the sidelines." Said a bemused Ryoma.

"Yeah, I hear you. Sometimes I get annoying fangirls asking me for my autograph during practice. I told them it would be a huge waste of time to do that but would they ever listen to me? NO! But now that I am at Seigaku, I won't have to worry about girls anyway except for Sakuno since she has given me a place to keep myself comfortable all thanks to her grandmother. Besides, Seigaku is my home after all." Said Kevin proudly.

"Don't get on Sakuno's bad side, you know she is a bit shy and uncomfortable when you are too close to her. However, if you are planning to woo her, at least get to know her better and try to you know do some of the activities that she likes to do." Finished Ryoma as they continued practicing.

"Of course ryoma! You can count on me to take good care of Sakuno since you found her to be troublesome when I am around her. Sure, I may not have enjoyed her foods, but she cares a lot about me and she wants what is best for me. Furthermore, you have to get to know her better since you are a transfer student here in Japan. As long as you be nice to her, she will eventually warm up to you, am I clear?" said Ryoma as he patted Kevin's shoulder after the match

"Crystal clear, my dear gay prince!" Grinned Kevin evilly.

Ryoma deadpanned at his friend and picked up a couple of tennis balls before hurling them towards his head for making such ridiculous remarks about the rookie. Sure, he may not have admitted his love towards Atobe, but calling him gay was just unwanted and unjust. Once Ryoma leaves school, he decides to head over to Hyotei and check on Atobe before they head over to Osaka for their counseling session with Shiraishi.

At Hyotei, things were equally going smoothly with the regulars still training for the world cup. However, Atobe still hasn't stopped smiling after reading today's newspaper. "Thanks to the press, they now have good amounts of information about me, Ryoma, and Ann. I must be the luckiest diva ever! The gods have answered my prayers! Now then, Yuushi, Shishido, get over here!"

Not a moment too soon, the blue-haired tensai and the less-than enthusiastic tennis prodigy walked over towards Atobe's table and said, "What's going on? What is making you so happy today?"

"Read the newspaper, I finally got my wish!" laughed Atobe as he handed the paper towards his teammates. As Shishido read the headline, he got the shock of his life while Yuushi tried his best to not let his glasses fall on the ground. Both of them are trying their best not to laugh but they just couldn't hold it in. At that moment, a loud guffaw was heard throughout the whole cafeteria with everyone starring in awe wondering what was really going on. Others couldn't care less since they were off to practice tennis with the exception of Gakuto, Ootori, and Jirou since they wanted to see what was so funny.

"Guys, what are you laughing at?" they asked in unison.

Shishido paused to wipe the tears from his eyes while holding his sides as Yuushi tried his best not choke when he was laughing. "Please read the paper, you will see how funny it is when you find the brat and Ann double dating the deranged diva." They immediately handed the paper to the remaining regulars before walking out of the cafeteria and hiding behind the benches at the tennis courts.

"This is going to be good." Mumbled Yuushi.

"Looks like Naruto and Ann are really quite popular among all the men and girls out there, aren't they? Now there is something else altogether. Didn't Atobe say that he was going to Osaka to you know hopefully get some unpleasant images out of his head?" said Shishido.

"Yeah, he did, but why didn't he tell us about it? He could have at least confirmed it with the coach before taking that brat with him. Geez! He likes to keep everything hidden from us. What is it that he has that we don't have?" grunted Yuushi.

"Good looks, and a charming personality?" replied Shishido. But yuushi was not amused at his antics. Soon they could hear Gakuto laughing maniacally and Ohtori and Jirou snickering like crazy after reading the paper.

"You got to be kidding me! When did Atobe start treating those two like family? And now he is saying he wants to marry Ann? Don't make me laugh!" said Gakuto,

"You said it dude! I mean Ann would probably not like this. I am guessing she could throw into a fit of rage when she sees this." Agreed Jirou.

"Ah, come on you guys! Atobe has strange ways of thinking marriage will work in his favor, but I highly doubt his family will approve of this. Besides, what would the rest of the school say when they read this outlandish rumor anyway?" continued Jirou.

Yuushi and the others were unable to comprehend their captain thanks to his ridiculous plan. To make matters even worse, rumor has it that Rikkaidai and the rest of the schools all have gotten wind of Atobe's ingenious plan and Sanada couldn't even grasp the situation at hand. Furthermore, he immediately grabbed a lighter and burned the newspaper before tossing it in the garbage can and walked back towards the couch sighing in frustration.

"That idiot…. THAT IDIOT! What the hell was he thinking not heeding my warning!? I have told him many times not to spend any more time with Ryoma but would he ever listen to me? NO! now he is going to let his family know of his plan and I must put a stop to this betrothal immediately!" roared Genichiro.

Akaya sweat-dropped while Yukimura looked at him in confusion. "Um, fuku-buchou, I am afraid that Ann has already texted me since she is not sure what to make of all of this. Furthermore, she intends to end her relationship with Kamio of Fudomine, effective immediately since he is not her type. I am sure this is a shock to you as it is to all of us. Eventually, Kippei found out about this and told her that Kamio will find love one of these days since he plans to come to Atobe's wedding ceremony whenever it is held."

"Are you KIDDING ME!?" shouted Genichiro as he pounded the table hard with his fist, leaving a giant hole in the center. Furthermore, he picked up the table and threw it out the window in a fit of rage. The table broke into tons of pieces after crashing onto the concrete floor below. Elsewhere, people outside were wondering what just happened up there while Akaya tried to calm Sanada down with water.

"What did the table ever do to you, Sanada?" asked Yukimura worriedly.

"It's not the table that angered me, its Atobe! Damn that fucking fool! How could he do this to Ann without even asking her? But still if this marriage was to take place, I will not be attending as their best man. Besides, there is the matter of that brat as well. He is still going after Atobe with his meaningless quest since giving up was not an option. I still can't believe that he has to be that lunatic's little brother! This is an outrage!" grunted Sanada as he sat down on the couch to drink some water to let his headache clear out.

"That table was worth a fortune, sempai! Now, I will not be responsible for the incurring fees, but you should really talk to Sumiere Ryuzaki and Fuji because only those two can help with your issues." Said Akaya.

Sanada turned towards his subordinate and said, "Thanks, but I am not sure what Fuji or his coach will tell me so I will give it my best shot. By the way, sorry about the mess. Tell the principal to put it on my tab and I will have Yukimura-buchou cover a portion of it. Besides, I also need to have a talk with Kevin Smith anyway." He then got up and left the room while closing the door behind him without letting anyone else know where he was going. He then had a grin on his face and thought to himself, "That little brat thinks he can win the heart of Keigo eh? Well, if this is some worthless dream he is pursuing, let him work on it."

Akaya and Yukimura breathed a sigh of relief after what just transpired in there before going outside to clean up the mess while evacuating the students from the tennis courts since some of them were nearly crushed by falling debris from the table itself. Once the students have been move to the tennis courts, Yukimura and Akaya immediately sifted through the damaged table and picked up whatever pieces were left before discarding them in the dumpster in order to avoid getting cuts and scrapes. Once the debris was cleared, everyone helped to clear the sawdust from the ground before they resumed tennis practice.

By Tuesday afternoon, Ryoma entered the grounds of hyotei and waited patiently for his lover to finish up his meetings and club affairs before they head off to Osaka to meet with Shiraishi. Furthermore, he feels that this place was going to be his ultimate training ground to become a pro since he could get used to the environment and the people here. Just then, he could see Yuushi and Gakuto walking out of the school with their heads held up high and decided to wave at them.

"hey guys, so you heard that Atobe was planning to marry…" began Ryoma. But then Gakuto cut him off and placed a reassuring hand on his friend and said, "An Tachibana right? I know, the rumors are not lies and Atobe already texted his family about it. I have to say, they are just as surprised as we are. Furthermore, I just got word that our captain's parents would like to meet you at their villa during the summer break, are you up for it?"

"Yeah, I guess so, but I have never officially seen them in person since this is quite a surprise. I wonder how they are going to take the news about my so called love with your captain?"

"Oh, I am sure they feel you are going to be their son-in-law one day after Ann marries Atobe. So I think you might become an addition to their family. Besides, your father has already spoken with Atobe's parents and I think he agreed to it as well. No worries, we will take good care of you when you start your new semester here at Hyotei." Replied Yuushi.

Ryoma was in shock and didn't know what to make of this. Just then Atobe arrived and spoke, "So, what's this I hear? Ryoma is going to be my brother-in-law? That's wonderful news! I think my family will be delighted to meet you, ahn? Besides, Nanjiroh feels that he is prepared to accept me into your life now."

"Are you sure you're not joking? I mean that is a huge responsibility to take in, especially when I haven't met your parents yet." Stated Ryoma.

"Oh, don't worry, you will meet them soon enough. In the meantime, we don't want to be late for Shiraishi's medical miracle right? Let's get going, brat!" laughed Atobe as he grabbed the kid's hand and rushed into the car with Gakuto and yuushi watching with disgust.

"that was awkward, looks like our captain has finally turned sane. He can't really be going through with his plan right?" said mukahi worriedly.

"I wonder what his mind is really going through right now? He acts like this is all a big joke to him, but think he will have the last laugh once this is over. Atobe, I can assure you that you have gone completely bonkers now." Replied Yuushi as he and Mukahi headed towards home.

At the train station, atobe and Ryoma bought their tickets before boarding the 2:15 pm train towards Osaka and to Shitenhouji Middle School since they know that Shiraishi could still be at the clubroom tending to other clients right now. Furthermore, they have no idea what the sempai might say to them when meeting two people from different schools. Furthermore, Atobe has been to Shitenhouji before since he has witnessed a match between Shiraishi and the lovestruck Yuji due to the absence of Kamio. This time, he was certain that the rest of those weirdos must have left for the day and didn't want to cause a ruckus because there is no telling what sort of traps that the shitenhouji clowns have set for them.

A few hours later, Ryoma and Atobe arrived at their destination and walked out of the train station before entering Osaka. Once there, they could see a light tan-haired student with bandages on his arm waving at them. Surprisingly, Ryoma and Atobe rushed towards the middle schooler and shook hands with him.

"You must be Kuranosuke Shiraishi right?" said Atobe with a look of happiness on his face.

"yes, and you must be that infamous Keigo Atobe that we all have heard about, and you must be Echizen Ryoma, if I am not mistaken?" said Shiraishi.

"yes, that's me. It's really nice to meet you at last." Said Ryoma.

"The pleasure is all mine. Welcome to Osaka, I hope you will enjoy your stay here. Anyway, shall we head over to Shitenhouji? I assume you guys are here to talk about your love problems with me?" stated Shiraishi.

"Yes, and due to Genichirou Sanada being so abusively loud and being so strict, we had to come here to get that guy's unpleasant images out of our heads. He could be a real downer sometimes. Furthermore, he needs to see that we are going to be brother in laws very soon and he has to accept it sooner or later. Second, I am going to be marrying An Tachibana one day since she is betrothed to me and I cannot let the wedding get delayed. If you can help us, we will be sure to invite your entire school to our festivities." Said atobe.

Shiraishi looked at them for a moment before pausing to scratch his head. "I see, so you guys are intimate with each other, but Sanada refuses to acknowledge you three as lovers? That selfish bastard! How could he do this to you? He really needs to relax and let it all go. Furthermore, he needs to congratulate you on your splendid future with An since you have a heart of gold. I also see that Ryoma still hasn't found a girl of his dreams yet since his chances of finding love are looking really slim, am I right?"

"yeah, we need your medical advice since you are the only person having that area of expertise to assist us on our endeavor." Said Ryoma.

Shiraishi smiled at them and said, "Very well then, please come inside. Osamu-sempai and Kintaro are waiting anxiously for you right now since I told them that their meeting with me was already over. However, they refuse to leave and so, if you can help me to get rid of them, I will be more than happy to assist you."

"Sure. So what's the deal with Kintaro?" asked Ryoma.

"Well, he is still throwing hissy fits about not playing a match with you after you got booted from the U-17 camp. Second, Osamu is also looking forward to falling in love with your coach at Seigaku since she is the only person that can take care of her granddaughter. I couldn't handle those two with so much paperwork and meetings going on right now. So can you please help me?" begged Shiraishi.

Ryoma and Atobe nodded at him as they started working on the pervert and the loud-mouthed rookie while Shiraishi thanked them from the bottom of his heart. Soon, he picked up his radio and said, "Kenya, looks like our clients are here. Shall I call Genichirou in?"

"Make sure he feels really comfortable when you are confronting him in your office and we will ensure that his little torture will be slow and swift." Replied Kenya evilly.

"That's exactly our little plan and we will make sure he won't feel anything upon his arrival." sniggered Shiraishi.

At that moment, ryoma and Atobe has no idea what was about to happen here as they took a seat inside the Shitenhouji club office. They are wondering how Shiraishi was going to approach this without any conflict because he has dealt with clients having marital problems, mental health issues, and depression. But this time, he is dealing with two strange rookies trying to seek love in very strange ways

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be good since Sanada will be feeling the wrath of Shitenhouji since he was jealous that Ryoma and Ann have found the perfect person to take care of them and their well-being for the future. I wonder how the rest of Rikkaidai will take it? Anyway comment and review. I will see you all next time.


	30. An Unexpected Surprise from Shitenhouji

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.

As if the madness between Atobe and Ryoma didn't end there, he even scheduled a meeting with the wise Shiraishi Kuranosuke of Shitenhouji in order to further expedite his love life, which a lot of people are finding it unfunny, especially among the tennis clubs at Rikkaidai, Hyotei, and Seigaku. This time, Atobe had made sure to leave a message for his butler and secretary to reschedule any upcoming meetings and practice sessions in order to spend time with his lovers. However, a bunch of pissed off teammates are certain to add more fuel to the fire after their so called therapy ends. Unfortunately for Ryoma, he wasn't sure what good would come out of seeing Shiraishi.

"Keigo-sempai, why did you want to see Shiraishi anyway? You know that he is the leader of the health committee and not a love doctor, right? After all, he specializes in healing and watering plants just like Yukimura and that sadist fuji. So what's the deal? Are you trying to get him involved in our love affairs?" said the raven haired teen.

Keigo turned and looked at his friend, "That's exactly what I am trying to get him involved in. After all, only he can help cure me of my sadness and rejection. Luckily, with you around, the great wise Shiraishi will be able to resolve our issues in an instant. Besides if I am to fall in love with you, please cooperate with me since we are going to be a family together! Hahahaha!"

"Oh, please tell me you are kidding right? Like anyone would ever fall for you dude! This whole love scheme is just wrong on so many proportions and I don't know if I am your type or not. Can you please try to reconsider or so?" said Ryoma with a dog-eyed look.

"Sorry brat! But we're not leaving until we get some answers from Shiraishi. Besides I refuse to let you out of my sight, my dear. You are still important to me and I will still keep my love for you for as long as necessary. Besides, you are already aware that you are the perfect type for me right? I wouldn't pick any other person over you since I had my eyes on your pretty little face for a long time now. Anyway, we're here at Shitenhouji, so Shiraishi's clubroom should be somewhere nearby." Finished Atobe as he grabs Ryoma by the hand and entered the building.

As the duo walked across long hallways filled with classrooms, they stumbled across outer hallways filled with faculty lounges, but no sign of the club room. Just then, Atobe could hear some humming across the hallway and decided to investigate and sure enough, they could see Kintaro heading into an open classroom with Kenya following close by and chitose singing the blues as he was still holding up a photo of his beloved tezuka in his hands.

Both of them sweat-dropped at the chain of events. "Seriously, that casanova seems to be obsessed with his lover, I mean come on! When will he get over Tezuka already? He used to be my lover to massage my aching back after my tennis match and now this sex-obsessed lunatic is still not getting over him. Sometimes even I wonder why he still chases after that silent tennis player anyway." Thought Atobe to himself.

"Yup, everyone here at Shitenhouji middle school are crazy and on drugs." Agreed Ryoma. As they continued walking, they could see Shiraishi waving at them a few doors down. Once Ryoma and Atobe approached him, the tan haired captain said, "It's good to see you again after our previous match during the national championship. Come on in, I have been waiting for you after all this time."

"Sure thing, but why did you want to see us so urgently?" asked Ryoma.

"Well, Jiroh told me on the phone earlier that his captain of Hyotei wanted something that can get him back on his feet to gain love. Furthermore, he chose me to assist him since they call me the love doctor. Luckily, I was able to convince Coach Sakaki to bring you down here for our counseling session. Shall we get started?" said Shiraishi.

"Sure of course." Said Atobe as he sets his tennis gear inside the locker next to the door before taking one of the chairs to get himself more comfortable while Ryoma took a seat next to his sempai's desk. Once that was done, Shiraishi immediately cleared off the table and placed the papers inside the drawer before contacting the guards at the greenhouse telling them to let Fuji and Yukimura to water the plants. Then he grabs his phone and said, "Osamu, it's me. Make sure you take Kintaro home since he never catches the train on time, thank you."

Osamu gave an exasperated sigh and said, "Why me? I thought you were supposed to take him home?"

"Sorry, but I have to spend some time talking about bonding and love with a couple of guests today, so please do me this favor and just take him home with you for the day? I know he can be trouble, but you're the only person that can keep him occupied until I get home. Thank you very much."

"Kuranosuke, wait! I didn't-" But Shiraishi didn't let his sensei finish as the line goes dead. Once that was taken care of, Ryoma looked at him and said, "So your plan is to keep us here to talk about how to make love with one another right?"

"That is correct, but I am also looking at your data and I see you both haven't bonded together as much since Keigo has sent you off on one-on-one days, am I right?"

"Yes, that is exactly right. I have been going on those dates for a while now and quite frankly, I have been fulfilling his requests just like he wanted. But he still wanted more since my single dates are not really satisfying him." Added Ryoma.

"Correct, what Ryoma said is true. So I came here as a friend and guest, please tell me if there are other ways that that I can make love come to me?" asked Keigo.

'Well, you see I am more of a health specialist and not a love doctor, I will do what I can to help since I know Yuushi isn't too fond of this at the moment. Furthermore, I can say with certainty that he was pretty annoyed by your deranged ways to seek love. So therefore, he wanted you to stay here and focus on making out with the girls here at our school before you and Ryoma date each other again." Continued Shiraishi.

"So what you are saying is, you are keeping me and that brat here so that you can observe our progress on dating the cheerleaders at your school and see how they do at interacting with us, right? Well Ore-sama will do his best to woo your cheerleaders since I know they never met me before, but with my charming good looks, those girls will definitely see my good side and will go out on a date with me!" chuckled Atobe as he stood up and made a victory dance all over the clubroom while Shiraishi did he best to avoid letting everything topple to the ground while laughing nervously at Ryoma.

"That diva is really getting fired up. Sometimes I wonder if he is really mentally prepared to take on women in the near future when he gets married." Said Ryoma indignantly while sighing.

"Yeah I know right? Your lover is seriously crazy and is looking forward to getting started. Furthermore, I am not sure where he is going to go with this sort of crazed mind, but we shall see if those girls will really fall for him." Said Shiraishi as he leads the two students into the gym where the cheerleaders will be waiting for them. Unfortunately for Osamu, he wasn't exactly sure what to do with the troublesome kintaro at his house after waiting for him for over a half an hour to finish eating.

Back in the control room, things were just as bad as Yuushi watched what had just transpired in the club room and decided to find Gakuto. As he searched for his doubles partner, he paused to try not to think about what Atobe was planning to do with those girls at Shitenhouji since his cousin would be seriously pissed off at that uninvited guest. However, Kenya placed a reassuring hand on his cousin and said, "Relax cuz! I am sure that that mindless lunatic will figure out a way to get those girls to like him. You've heard what my buchou said right? He will do what he can to handle this since this is just a test to see if those two are lucky enough to pass."

"How can I relax? Those girls are way out of my buchou's league! How can he possibly date all those girls at once with that brat watching like nothing is happening out there? Why on earth did that captain invite those two over there anyway? What's his deal? Well no matter; consider himself lucky to be a love doctor for those two gay couples around him because sooner or later, he will get embarrassed later on. Believe me, Kenya; those two won't last long over there." Grunted Yuushi.

"We shall see about that, won't we? After all, o-chibi has some cunning ways to get out of tennis practice since he has been on the ups and downs. But who can blame him for trying to find love?" continued Eiji.

'That's my Chibisuke, always thinking ahead without trying to falter in the past. But with Shiraishi's help, we will see just how happy those two can get later on." Replied a familiar voice at the door.

"Who are you?" asked Kaidoh

"The name is Echizen Ryoga, and I am Ryoma's adopted brother. I have been watching him dating for quite some time and frankly, I am very impressed with how well Atobe has taken care of that brat when I was gone. Furthermore, I can see that Atobe has decided to focus all of his attention on my little brother eh? Now, what's this about a girl from Fudomine having a crush on the king of Jyotei?"

"Ah yes about that… Ahem, it seems that Kippei of Fudomine has requested that his sister join in on the love scheme between Atobe and Ryoma since she has been seeing him constantly from time to time. However, I don't know how that will make Shiraishi feel, but it seems that she really is hitting it off with Atobe. At this point, we do not know what Atobe is really thinking when he is double dating both brats at the same time." Stated Akaya.

"Tarundoru! That leech has been hanging around Ryoma for too long and I have done what I can to convince him to leave that kid, but would he ever listen to me? NO! As for Shiraishi, we met once before and he will try his best to put a smile on everyone around him and he admires Yukimura-buchou a lot because he considers that guy brave and unselfish after a disease rendered him unable to play tennis for a while. However, he came out strong in the end and everyone encouraged him to keep going no matter what. Furthermore, our captain's love for plants is what made his bond so strong with Shiraishi and I have him to thank for that. Besides, those two have become so connected together these days just like Ryoma and atobe are right now." Said Sanada as he blushed furiously.

Akaya immediately laughed at his response and said, "Fuku-buchou! I had no idea you still care for that brat! You can be such a sweet guy at times despite your stubbornness and strict demeanor, you know? Those words are really touching."

"Oh, can it! Who said I was that sort of person? I merely just stated the obvious that's all. Besides, all I am saying is that Ryoma should spend more time with a girl his age instead of men since it isn't cool for him to become so gay around them." Finished Sanada.

"Ryoma could be with whomever he wants to, there is nothing wrong with dating people of the same or opposite sex. Besides, if he likes to be popular around the guys, that's his choice. I mean we cannot deny our o-chibi the chance to someday meet the man or the girl of his dreams." Added Krauser.

"Since when did you became such a huge fan of that brat?" asked Kamio.

"I have been dating plenty of girls throughout my high school year and none of them rejected my request to take them dancing or to a movie. Besides, I always leave behind flowers for them as a token of my appreciation since they all want something special after their first impression date. This is the sort of advice that I offered to ryoma not too long ago since he seems to be happy with how to spend his life with someone from another school. I take it he's learned it from you guys?" continued Krauser.

"Well Momo and Eiji were the ones that taught him about how to impress girls and the Silver pair taught him everything they know about how to get the girl or guy of his dreams since he had a lot of training in that field. I am starting to think that brat could be well on his way to take on more beautiful women later on." Finished Oishi.

"Geez! What have you sadists and tree huggers been teaching that brat while he was at Seigaku? Look at him, he practically can't even leave Atobe alone for a single minute!" boasted Kite.

"We are simply looking out for his best interests at heart." Stated Kikumaru.

"Exactly, I mean after all Ryoma is still our hero and baby. Look at him, he is practically following his brother's footsteps right about now." Said Kawamura.

"So, it seems that it's not just us that taught him well, but Ryoga gave that bratty brother of his a few pointers? That is very interesting." Put in Tanishi.

"We shall see how he does with Shiraishi." finished Chitose.

As the three tennis players headed into the gym, they could see the cheerleaders warming up with their stretches while the others were reciting their lines. Furthermore, Shiraishi nodded them to come over and greet the guests. One by one, the girls shook the hands of Ryoma and the handsome Atobe. Furthermore, the final girl walked up to Atobe and said, "Feel free to contact me at any time on my cell phone and you and I can arrange a date or a movie with each other, my love." She then kissed the diva on the face before he reached into his pocket and gave her his business card with the contact info.

"No problems babe! And I would love to spend some more time getting to know you better. How about a little dinner at my villa some time?" smiled Atobe sheepishly.

At that moment, Shiraishi and Ryoma both sweat-dropped at what Atobe was doing and were attempting to drag him out of the gym when he slapped their hands away.

"Unhand me! That woman is looking forward to being my date starting in the next few weeks and you guys are not going to ruin that for me!" boasted Atobe.

"Oh come now! And here I thought my date with Fuji Syusuke ended even worse. How are you even certain that girl will go for you? Have you even met her before?" asked Shiraishi.

"Of course not! It's my first time dating her, so relax, my good captain! After all, we are going to see which one of those girls will be our first experimental impression date. Furthermore, my girls are really excited to meet the woman of my dreams and I do believe they will have to dispense tickets to the guests that will be showing up at my house in about a couple of weeks from now. Therefore, it would be nice if I could have you distribute some tickets for your team and I will inform Rikkadai, Hyotei and many other schools to attend." Added Atobe.

"Are you sure this is really necessary? I mean what do you think Osamu would say if he found you stealing a girl from our school? This could really tarnish our reputation as tennis players, you know?" protested Shiraishi.

"Oh come on! I don't think that should be an issue. After all, Atobe is here looking for love and he has found the perfect girl for himself. Besides, Koshimae here has been stalking Atobe for some time now so I think he should give the diva a break for a while, wouldn't you say, Sempai?" grinned Kintaro.

Ryoma immediately glared at his rival and said, "Who told you I was stalking Atobe? I am temporarily dating him until he could come to his senses and quite frankly, I don't know how long that is going to take. Furthermore, if he really wants that girl, give him a chance to prove his worth, do you agree, Shiraishi-sempai?"

"Yes, of course Ryoma. After all, I have to make sure Atobe takes good care of my cheerleader and hopefully make sure her hair is cut, make sure he treats her well, and making sure that she is feeling more welcomed by Atobe's teammates later on. I am sure they won't mind meeting my girl since she is a very outgoing person and very energetic too. All the other girls are really beautiful, but this girl is one of my favorites and compared to the rest of them, only she has the power to make people fall in love with her. So I want you to do your best to make this girl happy, do you understand?" ordered Shiraishi.

Kintaro looked at his captain with shock and awe. "My, my, you and Atobe-sempai are absurdly popular among the ladies, aren't you?" Soon, he could hear bouts of snickering coming from Echizen, especially from the teammates in the control room. Soon, everyone could hear Ryoga holding his sides while laughing. Everyone else were giggling like maniacs since they are not sure where Atobe will be going with this new girl from Shitenhouji with Ryoma and An in tow.

"Look at that, sis. You got some strong competition from your lover. Maybe you could take a few lessons from him before you start dating him again." Laughed Kippei. Soon An, gave him a glare before elbowing her brother in the shoulder.

"Shut up, Kippei! The only girl that lunatic ever loves is me! Not some skank from Shitenhouji!" shouted An. Soon, everyone in the room fell to the ground laughing at An's comment before her brother placed his hands over her mouth.

"Not so loud, sis! You know how Shiraishi-sempai feels about you insulting his cheerleader member. Do you want to get slapped by the dark and scary sempai from Shitenhouji?" asked Kippei. "You know I have deep respect for that guy since we faced them previously and lost graciously. Therefore, you don't need to lash out at a cheerleader you've never met before. Please calm yourself down and give her a chance, won't you?"

Ann thought about that for a minute and sighed exasperatedly. "All right then, I guess I can let this slide for now. But I better not see any monkey business from that girl in my house, do I make myself clear?" she said sternly.

Everyone agreed with her since there was no way that she was going to let Atobe win that girl over her since she is far too popular to be casted aside just like Ryoma. And even he had to agree with An since she just sent him a text on his phone in order to remind him of the situation at hand.

"keigo, looks like an isn't going to let you off the hook until you can prove to her that this so called cheerleader is worthy to be your date. I think she is issuing a challenge for you. So do you accept it?" asked Ryoma.

"Of course! Ore-sama never backs down from a challenge from the queen of tennis, ahn! Besides, I will definitely let this new girl take her on since she is a tennis pro herself. After all, Shiraishi was the one that trained her to be the very best. So therefore, I have to be careful around ann since we might never know what sort of punches she can throw at us." Said Atobe.

"That's true, I mean you are falling for almost every single girl you are coming across. No wonder you are the most popular diva among the tennis players." Smiled Ryoma

"Well, thank you! That just made me a lot happier thanks to your motivation. Also Shiraishi, what do you suggest for a guy that is trying to find love?" asked Atobe.

'Well, to be perfectly honest with you, you can always ask her what movies she likes to see and what games she likes to play during her free time. Also, you might want to do something to represent your school when you have a girl with you on the tennis courts. Maybe have the team arrange some sort of a party at the clubhouse or so? Maybe have Yuushi play some music that she likes to listen to. Those are just a few suggestions that I have for you. Above all, have fun with her and have the team know her better. I am sure Ryoma would want to do the same thing, wouldn't you?" Shiraishi turned towards Ryoma before ruffling his raven hair.

"Well, I am more than happy to accompany her to a bowling match later on, but I am not sure what Sakuno or kevin would say about this and you know how they feel about this so—" But before he could finish that sentence, Ryoma could hear his phone ringing and he immediately picked it up. "Moshi-Moshi, Ryoma speaking."

"Hey, Ryoma-kun! This is kevin, how are you?" asked the blonde American.

"hello to you too, kevin! What's going on with you?"

"Well, I heard a rumor that your gay boyfriend is bringing home a new girl from Shitenhouji and I was wondering, does she like American rock and roll? I still have a few cd collections of famous rock and roll singers. So what do you suggest?"

"I don't know, but I can put Atobe on the line for you since he knows more about music than I do. Hang on a second." Ryoma then paused and said, "Keigo-sempai! Kevin's on the phone for you!"

Atobe immediately walked over and took the phone from Ryoma and said, "Hello kevin, I see you haven't given up on Ryoma's girlfriend yet. Before I get to your question, tell me what do you see in Sakuno?"

"Excuse me?" asked Kevin.

"I asked you what you see in Sakuno. Don't make me repeat it again." Said Atobe begrudgingly.

"Well, I can tell you this, she is hot and sexy and pretty too. I think she is a perfect date for me because when I first saw her in Seigaku, I was like Oh my god! That girl is one hot babe! I would seriously forget about dating the girls back in America and focus on finding chicks in Japan which eventually brings me back the reason why I chose to transfer schools. Anyway though, what was your next question? Oh yes, the music right? The beach boys, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, etc. There are so many out there so do any of these suit your girl?"

Shiraishi immediately cut in, "my girl likes Buddy Holly since she is a huge fan of him and sometimes calls up her friends back in America to send her the songs via phone. So if you like, feel free to text Atobe the songs from Buddy holly when you get a chance." And with that, Shiraishi immediately rushed back towards the gym to finish his training on the remaining cheerleaders.

"Well, you got your answer, kevin. I wonder if Sakuno likes the same kind of music as well?" asked Atobe.

"As a matter of fact, Sakuno doesn't listen to much rock and roll music, she prefers Beethoven and Mozart. A few weeks ago, Yuushi had invited her over to his house for a little one on one concerto performance and she was most amazed by his performance. Furthermore, she recorded the entire thing onto her phone and kept it in her memory for life." Continued kevin.

"No way! Are you kidding? Wow, no wonder Yuushi has a way to entertain the girls with his lively performance. Well then, I will have to ask him to sample some classical music for my girl next time I go to his house since we both live very close to each other. Sometimes I will invite him over for a little cup of tea before I show him some of my classical favorites. Furthermore, I think we both have some common interests going on with our girls lately."

"Exactly my point! I do believe that this is my first date with Sakuno and probably, your first time meeting a new girl so we should get together sometime for a little fun time, what do you say?" continued kevin.

"I think I can work something out with my schedule and besides, I think Sakuno would love to meet my girl as well, wouldn't you say? Besides though, my coach would probably want to get to know her and see if she has the skills she needs to cheer on my teammates later on. But we shall take it one step at a time." Finished Atobe.

"I like the way you think, mr Tannhauser Master! Anyway, I need to go. Sakuno is probably waiting for me to fix her hair before we go bowling. So I will be waiting for your response later on." Said Kevin. But before he could hang up the phone, Ryoma immediately took it from his rival's hand and said, "Are you at Sakuno's house right now?" He was shocked at what just happened.

"Oh, don't worry! Sakuno is in good hands with me and I will take good care of her. Besides, her grandmother invited me over to her house so that I can keep her company." Smiled Kevin.

"Wait, what!? How did my coach approve of this? That's just unbelievable!" groaned Ryoma.

"Well, I asked the coach if she could let me stay at Sakuno's place and she agreed. Therefore, Sakuno needed someone to keep an eye on her and that's where I come in for the job. So, here I am! Anyway, need to go, talk to you later!" And with that, the phone goes dead as Ryoma closed it up and placed it back in his pocket before jumping up and down in frustration.

Back in the control room, Yuushi and the others couldn't believe what they just heard as he moved into the recording studio. "Hey, Tokugawa, I hope you got that all on tape."

Tokugawa nodded at his friend and said, "Yup, I heard everything loud and clear so this should work well in our favor. I just couldn't believe that Atobe and kevin would team up to let the girls meet each other in person so soon. This is just weird."

"Indeed, but either way, I am not sure what to say to my deranged captain now that he is inviting all of us to his villa for another boring party. Also, I overheard that the cheerleading girl likes rock and roll so shall we hit the store to see what else is available?" asked Yuushi.

"I think your cousin and Shishido should be able to take care of that department without issues." Continued Tokugawa.

"But shishido barely knows anything about rock and roll music!" protested Yuushi.

"What was that Yuushi? How dare you! I know a lot about rock and roll so don't try to play that trick on me!" shouted Shishido as he stood up with his hand rolling into a fist.

Yuushi turned around nervously and could see a deadly aura coming out of his teammate and sighed. There was no way that he could argue about it now with Choutaro grumbling. Furthermore, everyone else in the room laid back slack-jawed as Yuushi grabbed his cousin and his teammate and rushed out the door towards the music store.

Meanwhile, at the classroom, Kintaro patted his friend on the back and said, "Allow me to offer my congratulations to your lover Atobe for finally meeting the girl of his dreams. May you guys have a long journey to become a perfect family together and good luck on getting married."

At that moment, Ryoma and Shiraishi broke down guffawing loudly at Kintaro's moving speech while atobe jaw dropped. He had never expected to hear such an embarrassing thing coming out of jungle boy's mouth as he crossed his arms and said, "I beg your pardon, jungle boy! If I was marrying her now, what would her family say? They could try to accuse me of committing adultery! Furthermore, the only person that I wanted to marry is Ryoma Echizen because he is the only boy that I will cherish in my heart forever." With that, he immediately grabbed the brat by the back of his shirt and hugged him.

Ryoma felt a bit uncomfortable by atobe's antics and said, "Will you knock it off, Atobe! Are you proposing some sort of a royal marriage among us?"

"That's not what his intentions are. Did you listen to what kevin said on the phone? His speech was just so moving that it was exactly the way I predicted since we both want to encourage you guys to take good care of the girls and ensure that your dates go smoothly as planned. We are not asking you to get married right away, we're simply giving you a few tips on the topic of love so use them wisely. Besides, I could ask kevin to be my assistant later on since he is so good at helping people find love. Anyway, you guys should be able to enjoy your stay here in Osaka because I have made arrangements for you guys to stay somewhere more fitting thanks to some generous help from Atobe here." Smiled Shiraishi as he escorted his friends outside the school grounds with Kintaro following them.

"That's very kind of you, Shiraishi-sempai, but why is Kintaro coming after us?" asked Atobe.

"Oh dear, Osamu was supposed to take him back to his place about an hour ago, why is he still here?" groaned Shiraishi as he picked up the phone. Soon, Ryoma and Atobe headed outside and went towards their hotel before saying good bye to their love doctor after thanking him for his help.

"you know, you have got a ton of crazy imagination in your head lately." said Ryoma indignantly.

"For your information, brat. My brain is filled with ways to get you to be happy with my decision. So try to keep up." Said Atobe as he plopped Ryoma's forehead with a snap of his finger.

"What was that for, monkey king?" shouted Ryoma.

"Please refer to me as King Atobe, you little brat! If you must know I am trying to get you to be happy for me since you can't seem to grasp at the concept of love. Maybe you should have your brother help you since he has ways to make you fall in love any way possible!" continued Atobe.

"Why are you asking Ryoga? What does he know about love?" asked a confused Ryoma.

"you will see soon enough. Anyway we are here at the hotel, shall we unpack before heading out for dinner? What would you like to eat this time?" asked Atobe.

"Anything that will get my stomach pumping. I haven't had Chinese food in a long time." Said Ryoma as he rubbed his empty stomach.

"okay then, how about you my love?"

"Well, I think I will pass this time, but I will just have a few drinks with you guys before I head home for the day."

"I see, well that's understandable, but I will make arrangements to talk to your parents so that we can set up a date for just the two of us. In the meantime, let's unpack!" Atobe then dragged Ryoma into the hotel, picked up the keys and entered their rooms to settle in for the day since that girl was certain to make those two feel very comfortable in a public environment setting.

While most of the streets of Tokyo were busy going about their business, yuushi, Shishido, and Kenya browsed around the stores for rock and roll music since they are certain to make their teammates succeed in finding love in both cities. Furthermore, this will be a battle to determine which couple will spend the most time together. But there is also a tennis challenge that will serve as an obstacle along the way.

"Our captain and the brats should have no problems passing our challenge." Chuckled yuushi.

"Indeed, so did you know that Kintaro has suggested a royal marriage for Atobe and Ryoma?" said Kenya.

"Excuse me? A royal marriage?" asked a shocked Shishido.

"Yes, it was suggested by my annoying teammate since he wants to see what it is like for Ryoma when he and that girl gets betrothed by him." Finished Kenya.

Yuushi and Shishido jaw-dropped at that response before unleashing the biggest rant of all time, causing the entire city of Osaka to rumble in fear.

"NO FUCKING WAY!" they both shouted in unison as the CDs clattered to the ground.

"Are you guys okay? What is going on?" asked the store manager.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! a royal marriage, a new girl in atobe's life, and Ryoma still uncertain about his love life. These things are now intertwined together since Kevin and Sakuno are spending a great deal of time together thanks to her grandmother. This is certainly going to be some pretend marriage since we know that someone is behind this entire scheme. But we will find out who did it in the next chapter. See you next time, everyone!


	31. A Royal Marriage... Or Is it?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
> 
> Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.

The manager immediately exits his post and kneeled down to wake the two fainting students from Hyotei while Kenya grabbed a fan from his pocket to try and wipe the sweat from their faces. As Yuushi and Shishido recovered, they stood up and said, "What the hell just happened?"

"You guys fainted on the floor and the CDs are all over the place. Luckily, the manager here was able to wake you guys up and prevented you from having any other panic attacks." Smiled Kenya as he carefully lifted his cousin and Shishido onto their feet.

"That was certainly unexpected of us." Said Shishido.

"You're right, but we need to help clean up this place since we cannot leave it a mess like this. After all, we promised to help those three find love right? Luckily we have picked out the perfect sort of rock and roll music for them to listen to and eventually, that girl from Shitenhouji will fall for our captain in no time." Smiled Yuushi.

"Cuz, are you forgetting that Ryoma is also in on this as well? He chose you to be his lover. Furthermore, I just got word that the Child of God from Rikkai Dai has started to develop a love relationship with Ryoma, including Genichirou Sanada, Syuusuke Fuji, and Tezuka Kunimitsu since they also want to sing with your boyfriend." Stated kenya.

Yuushi and Shishido were confused as they left the store after cleaning the floor. As they left in stride, they turned their attention towards kenya as he studied the contents of the CDs they bought earlier. Furthermore, the titles of the songs seem to be making perfect sense because these could convince Ryoma to date all the men from different schools because Atobe and Tezuka have memorized these songs by heart already and they would want Ryoma to try it out to see if he was able to sing them as well.

As the gang arrived in Osaka, they noticed that Ryoma and Atobe are not in the city and have checked themselves into the hotel not too long ago. So they decided to head over to the control room to reconvene before handing out the presents for Atobe and the others. However, they noticed that four higa chuu students were praying silently at a nearby temple and decided to check it out. As they arrived, they could see them trying to find ways to get back to school since their coach left them in Osaka to survive on their own.

"Are you guys all right?" asked Yuushi.

"Yeah, we're fine. We're just praying and figuring out a plan on how to get home to Naniwa." Said one of the students with full black and partial white hair.

"Yes, what he said. So what are you guys doing here in Osaka?" asked Yuujirou.

"Well, we had to make a couple of purchases at the music store earlier and you guys would not believe this when we tell you that Atobe is starting a royal marriage with Ryoma and that lucky girl from Shitenhouji." Whispered Yuushi.

All four of the Higa Chuu members were shocked as they went face-planting to the ground before laughing like crazy at the lamest joke ever said by Yuushi. Unfortunately, Shishido didn't understand what these weirdos were laughing about. Atobe was really being serious about the wedding so how was any of this funny to them? Unbeknownst to Ryoma, he already overheard the convo and rushed over to see what was going on.

"Yuushi-sempai, what are you doing here? And aren't you guys from Higa Chuu?" he said to the people in front of him.

"Yes, but the question is: what are you guys doing here?" asked Yuujirou

"Keigo and I just stopped by to visit Shiraishi in Osaka since Monkey king, er—I mean Atobe was seeking advice from the health minister on how to get all the girls to fall for him. If you must know…" began Ryoma, but he was suddenly cut off

"We heard the rumors dude. So is it true that you are going to be marrying Atobe?" asked Hirakoba.

"No, I never said that I wanted to marry him! Besides, this is all jokes so don't listen to him. He is just trying to distract me so that the marriage can be arranged." Said Ryoma nervously.

The boys from Higa Chuu had confused looks on their faces before turning their attention towards Ryoma and said, "Don't lie to us! We heard loud and clear from Yuushi's cousin that your pompous jerk of a boyfriend asked for your hand in marriage and he is now hitting up on a girl here in Osaka. You might as well tell us the truth or do you want us to get Kite and Tanishi to whup your ass in tennis again?" they warned.

Ryoma immediately shuddered in disbelief as he took Yuushi's hand and walked over to a nearby bush and said, "What's the deal? What did your cousin tell you anyway?"

"Ryoma-san, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, we are only doing this because my captain needed advice from the health expert, just play along, okay?" whispered Yuushi.

"What? Are you insane!? Do you really think I am the type of guy that will marry Atobe? I swear I am not wearing a dress since I am certain that Kintaro is planning something big for the festivities later. Also, what is that in your hand?" asked Ryoma.

"What, these? Oh, they are just the music CDs that me and Shishido bought at the store earlier since his girlfriend likes Rock and Roll. Besides, I thought we would show our token of appreciation for our captain since he is dead set on getting that cheerleading girl to fall for him in addition to Ann and you. If my prediction is correct, then there is a chance that he is going to want to have a threesome in bed. I don't know how that will turn out but I can only guess that the girls will go for it somehow."

Ryoma was shocked at that response before deadpanning towards the Higa Boys who were snickering like crazy. "What are you guys laughing about? This is not a laughing matter! I can't seriously let you guys approve of this when Atobe is around here."

"Oh really? I am afraid that we cannot stop the marriage between you three and the obnoxious leader of Hyotei, but we do share your sentiments since you don't want to go through with this. However, Kite and tanishi are really asking you to do this on their behalf since they want to see what it is like for a popular guy like to propose to him. We need a video of this to keep for our records so make it good, brat!" stated Yuujiro.

"you guys are supposed to be supporting me, not Keigo! Yuushi-sempai , stop laughing and give me a little help here?"

"Sorry brat! I'm afraid that I cannot help you this time since the diva is right behind you. So I am going to give this to him before you head back to your hotel. Later my friend!" and with that, Yuushi and the Higa chuu boys dashed out quickly to avoid being caught by Atobe for spying on his wedding.

"He always does this in front of my lover and those good for nothing brats from the peanut gallery. I will sort out his punishment later on back at Hyotei. Besides, I have to thank him and Shishido for their help in the music department and will reduce the punishment later." Thought Atobe as he took the CDs before taking Ryoma back into the hotel.

Back in the control room, Yuushi, Kenya, and Shishido paused to take a quick breather before Yukimura and Sanada handed them some bottled water from the kitchen before they settled down on the couches. Just then Kite and Tanishi could see their fellow teammates running into the control room begging for water as they took their time to breath. Once that was done, Sanada and Akaya settled the Higa Chuu club members down onto chairs before fanning them to make sure they don't sweat profusely.

"So tell us guys, what did you see?" asked Kite.

"You won't believe this but we saw Yuushi actually letting Ryoma marry Atobe immediately since he wants a threesome in his house. No, it's not a joke since we heard every word of it. Therefore, it is only in our best interest to let Atobe-sama handle this since he wants more than one person on his bed tonight." Said Yuujirou

Yes, he's right. Kami help us, but Yuushi-san said it would be a good idea for Naruto to play along with this since Atobe needs his cooperation as long as the girls will follow suit. It is only a matter of time before the wedding will take place." Continued Chinen.

Everyone was shocked at what they had said, especially Sanada since he couldn't believe at what just happened.

"Let me get this straight, Yuushi-sempai wants Ryoma to marry that son of a gun but he doesn't want to because he fears this could impact his future as a tennis player right? Now you're telling us that Atobe wants a threesome in his bed in addition to having a royal marriage? How preposterous! That fool, can't even get a girlfriend for himself let alone a girl from Shitenhouji. I will admit, that diva has got guts doing a threesome. I know he isn't that crazy, but this is just crossing the line! Even that brat agreed to do this with yuushi's approval? Well then, yukimura-buchou!" barked Sanada.

"H-Hai, fuku-buchou!" said Yukimura.

"Pack your bags and let's go to Osaka. It's time for us to pay a visit to those two lovebirds, and if he wants a kiss, he has to get it from the emperor of tennis. After all, I am the only one that tried to kiss him when we did the cinderalla play not too long ago so it is only fair that I take a shot at that brat." said Sanada as a smirk appeared on his face.

"Wait, are you sure about this? For all we know you don't have a love relationship with that brat. What makes you so sure you can pull this off, Fuku-buchou?" asked Akaya indignantly.

"If at first you don't succeed, try again until you get that cheeky brat to fall for a handsome guy like me." Said Sanada with his unusual grin.

Everyone were confused at Sanada's statement, but Akaya decided to shrug it off since he doesn't know what kind of outcome this will have on Rikkaidai. After all, Sanada was the sort of person that anyone could get along with because he cares a lot about his teammates, especially Ryoma and Sakuno since they were the ones that made him get stronger and not falter. Furthermore, Yukimura is planning to personally thank Ryoma for changing his outlook on tennis because it seems that he is falling for his beloved relative since they are like cousins. As for Akaya, he could see his fuku-buchou blushing furiously and smiled, "Don't tell me you are falling for that brat?"

"Don't be ridiculous, seaweed head! I am just looking out for that brat's best interest at heart and yes I do care about him. I don't want to steer his love in the wrong direction because who knows what sort of sordid love affair he could end up with. Anyway though, just watch and you will understand how love works." Said genichiro as he and Yukimura left the room.

Back in Osaka, Ryoma was beyond pissed after hearing the rumors from the silent blue-haired freak and wanted some answers straight away. He then rushed towards Atobe's room and pounded on the door repeatedly before he was sent straight onto the bed by the diva.

"Do you even know how to keep a secret? Now the entire Higa Chuu tennis club members know about the scandal broiling between us. I swear to kami you are so unbelievable!" shouted Ryoma angrily.

"Ore-sama knows how to keep secrets, you impertinent brat! The only reason why you couldn't accept a royal marriage is because you are too nervous to accept a guy like me. Furthermore, it shows that you haven't showed your true feelings about me. Do I have to spell it out for you? We are going to get married whether you like it or not. Don't try to get away from this because around here, I call the shots and you will follow my every command!" boomed Atobe.

"Oh really? Since when am I your dog to bark orders at? Do you know how embarrassing this is to me and my school? I mean what if sakuno finds out I cheated on her? How would she feel then?" grumbled Ryoma.

"Your former girlfriend has taken an interest in Kevin now so you have nothing to worry about. Can you please stop thinking about Sakuno and focus your love on me for a while? I mean look at yourself, you got your future together with me and everyone else that you could possibly want to marry later on." Said Atobe.

"Of all the girls that I have at my school, none were able to date me because they said that they are either taken or just not particularly interested in me. But when you got Sakuno starts going after Kevin, it decreases my chances to get a girl of my dreams and…"

"Oh don't say that! At least you have me and all the other cute 14 year old boys for your pleasure and enjoyment. I mean after all, you said you like boys and girls who are older than you right? Well, it seems that Genichirou and Yukimura are on their way to meet you now since I just got a message from Yuushi saying that they want to form a love relationship with you. Isn't that sweet of them to do for a popular guy like you? No wonder you are the prince of romance and I am the king of love since we both have the same reason to marry you." Smiled Atobe

"You are so evil, you know that? But regardless, I will let this slide for now. But how did you even find out about the Rikkaidai masters falling in love with me?" asked Ryoma.

"Why do you want to know? All you have to do is follow through with our plans because Yuushi invited Fuji Syuusuke to participate in this love scheme as well since we all know how obsessed he is with you. We are not taking any chances here so cooperate with us and we shall ensure this wedding goes through without a hitch. If you fail to comply, then I am afraid that you have no hope of finding love in the near future. Therefore, I am allowing you to sleep with me tonight so that you will be more relaxed about this." Said Atobe as he grabs Ryoma by his waist and held him tightly.

"Atobe!…. Can't….breathe!" said Ryoma as he winced in pain.

"Gomen, Ryoma! But this is only a test of our true love so do not fail me." Said Atobe.

Just then, Genichirou and Yukimura arrived in the hotel and asked the front desk for the room number that Atobe and Ryoma are staying in. As soon as the woman handed them the key, they immediately took the elevator towards the fourth floor. As they arrived, they went to find room 403 and surprisingly, all of the rooms have been lined up according to even and odd numbers. Once they reached the end of the hallway, they found Ryoma and atobe's room and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" asked Atobe.

"The emperor and the Child of God wishes to grace ourselves in your presence, Atobe-Sama." Said Genichirou.

"Just a minute, Sanada-kun, we will be with you in a few minutes." Said Atobe as he scooped Ryoma off the bed before opening the door. Once they entered, Yukimura could see that the brat was still in bed playing his Game Boy Advanced while Atobe was cleaning himself in the bathroom. Soon, Genichirou entered the bathroom before Atobe could have a chance to react.

"genichirou! What is the meaning of this? Ore-sama demands you to give me privacy!" shouted Atobe.

"Come now, Keigo-sama. We all know the rumors that have been going on since you first met him. I can see it in your eyes that you are being serious about hosting a royal marriage with that brat right? Well, not if I can help it! As the emperor of Rikkaidai, I demand that you let me have a chance to date him and marry him! You have been hogging that brat for far too long! When will you give me and Yukimura a chance to coddle him?"

"Excuse me? Since when did you start falling for that prince?" asked Keigo.

"Ever since he beat Akaya Kirihara in the kantou match and I feel that he might prove useful to me at Rikkaidai if he wants to have a future together with me." Stated Genichirou.

"That brat belongs to me since his future is with Hyoutei!" said Keigo with a tick above his forehead.

"Sorry, but we called dibs on him, Keigo-sama. So this time, we will be the ones to show him a good time and we are dying to get to know him better. At this point, can we borrow Ryoma for tomorrow? We feel that this kid is a lost cause and we want to make his life easier for him, if you know what we mean." Stated Yukimura.

"Fine, but I expect that you return him to me by the end of tomorrow night." Fumed Atobe as he slowly pushes Genichirou out of the bathroom door before slamming it shut. At that moment, Sanada breathed a sigh of relief as he took a seat across from Ryoma's bed and said, "Ryoma, you are not the only person that is falling for Atobe's so called love trance. We also wanted a piece of the action and decided to see if we are worthy enough to be your lover because from what Yuushi and the gang told us, he wants us to follow you and see if we have what it takes to show our love for a kid like you, is that okay with you?"

Ryoma looked at him for a moment and was reluctant at first, but as he eyed the emperor he immediately nodded since he has been waiting for this for a long time.

"Wonderful! So it seems that you are finally approving us to spend more time with you. I am glad you are seeing things our way!" smiled Genichirou as he escorted the young prince out of the room with Yukimura following close behind.

"Yeah, but are you sure that this is what you want for me? I mean the whole marriage thing is weird and I am not sure if I am ready for something like this. After all, I am still a kid and I will almost be 13. If I am going to get married now, I would be way too young to be a father since that would be a lot of responsibilities on my part. Please don't make me go through with the wedding because my parents could throw a fit with me if I start the royal marriage now. In the meantime, let's just keep this as a date because if we hold the wedding now, my family wouldn't approve of this, I'm begging you!"

Sanada looked at the kid for a moment and sighed since he had never heard such a moving speech from him. Furthermore, seeing this kid begging for a chance to just experience a date started putting a smile on his face since he still hasn't had a chance to play ryoma in a match yet.

"How about this: we will hold off the wedding until after we had our tennis match, will that be okay with you, Echizen? We came all this way for a little date and we don't want to let that go to waste. I promise this match will ensure that you and I will spend our little time together at any place of me or Yukimura's choosing." Continued Sanada.

Ryoma gave that a thought for a moment and said, "Sure, that will do. But from now on, please call me Ryoma since calling me by my last name just annoys me to no end. I am sure you understand that due to the amount of fan girls doing that me on the courts and eventually, the coach had to separate the girls from the courts so that I could practice in peace." Finished Ryoma.

"Sure, Ryoma-kun. Anyway, let's get started with our match!" said Sanada as he took Ryoma's hand and rushed towards a nearby park with Yukimura watching them intensely. Once they arrived, Yukimura decided to host the match, "this will be a one set game between Rikkaidai's Genichirou Sanada and Segaku's Echizen Ryoma. Are you both ready? Begin!"

As the match began, Ryoma started off with some strong advanced moves including the cool drive and Drive B which surprised Sanada. However, his opponent wasn't flinching one bit because he can see why this kid had come a long way since he first started the sport. This time, Yukimura could clearly see that his cousin was on a whole different level of tennis and would replace him as the next child of god. However, his chances of taking that title would be too much for that little kid to handle on his own. Furthermore, it would be a shame to let a kid from Seigaku taking control of the Rikkaidai tennis grounds since he does not want everyone else to find out about them secretly dating the brat.

Soon, Sanada could see that Ryoma had exerted a lot of energy throughout the game as he has accumulated at least 3 wins so far for the first set while his opponent has two. There was still only one game left to win since Sanada had gone easy on Ryoma because he didn't want to pressure the brat too much because he wants to have an easy-going relationship with him. Furthermore, the first time that these two met, they didn't really know each other very well due to Yukimura's health condition in the hospital previously. After that, both opponents settled their rivalry in the kanto tournament and became friends afterwards without having any further confrontations. But now, Sanada has decided to make love with him after trying to stop Atobe from accomplishing his goal since he is also trying to do the same thing that no one else had ever done.

Back in the match, ryoma has landed some pretty decent shots, but after a while, Sanada had already reached his limit and paused to wipe the sweat off his face before heading over to the vending machines for a little soda. Luckily, Ryoma immediately gave Sanada the ponta from the machine to cool him down before the match ends.

"Thanks, Ryo-kun, that was just what I needed." Said Sanada as he winked at the kid.

"Hey no problems. After all, dating you seems to be helping me a lot these days. Perhaps after this is over, we could head over to Yukimura's place for a little get-together. I am sure Atobe wouldn't mind though."

"I'm afraid that we will have to rearrange that for another time because you know how Atobe gets when I keep you for such a long time. Anyway though, how did you like the tennis match that we had earlier?" said Genichirou.

"It was memorable and enjoyable, Sanada-sempai. However, I still need to get some shopping done since I need to get a few things for Atobe's new girlfriend." Replied Ryoma.

"Allow me to accompany you since we do have to eat at a fancy restaurant soon." Smiled Genichirou as he took the kid's hand and exited the tennis courts with an out of breath Yukimura following close behind them. As they arrived at the flower shop, the owner seems to recognize the faces and immediately rushed out to greet them.

"Welcome to Kuranosuke's flower shop, Ryoma-kun, Sanada-sama, how may I help you guys today?" said the owner.

Ryoma and genichirou immediately turned and saw the familiar face from before since he was the same guy that gave the love advice to Atobe earlier. "What are you doing here, Kuranosuke-sempai?"

"Well, since I run the flower shop with Takoyaki here at the park, I am a huge botany fan and I love flowers just as much as she does. Furthermore, everyone around Osaka has been reading my front page column in the newspaper and they are fascinated with the different kinds of plants that I have been adding to the store so far. Besides, we got a ton of poisonous plants here that you don't want to get on your skins. Furthermore, my kouhai zaizen talks about this stuff too much since he has kept a record of the plants in his data book. Anyway, what can I get for you, Ryoma-kun?" asked Shiraishi

"Well, since you taught him about love, I would like to return the favor and buy one of the non-poisonous plants that you have on your shelves because this is the only way to repay our debts to you." Smiled Ryoma.

"Sure, just follow me towards the back area and I will pick out the tulips and the Bonsai plants for your friend's date." Said Kuranosuke

As the duo heads to the back, Ryoma was fascinated by the amount of flowers that the shop had and wanted to take a photograph to keep it in his memory forever. Furthermore, he immediately sent the photo directly onto Atobe's phone and hoping that he will share it with his girlfriend later on. As Atobe looked at the photo of the show and the flowers he bought, a smirk appeared on his face. "That brat is still thinking about me eh? He just never ceases to amaze me with his token of appreciation. I wonder how well he is doing on his date with Sanada and Yukimura right now."

Back at the shop, Ryoma and sanada have picked out their flowers and billed Kuranosuke before leaving since they care aware that Atobe is planning to present the flowers to his lover during the party later on. As they left, the team could see Yukimura trying to enter the shop to find his lover and surprisingly enough, he was still working on organizing the flowers.

"Can I help you, Yukimura?" asked Shiraishi.

"Yes, you can start by telling me why haven't you dated me yet? I had to run all the way down to Osaka to find you but Toyama tells me you were not at his house. So what's the deal? Why have you not confessed your feelings to me?"

"Excuse me?" asked a confused Shiraishi.

"You heard me, I thought we had a thing for each other and then you just run off and go after Fuji? How dare you! I thought you loved me more than that sadistic sempai!" barked Yukimura.

"Yukimura-buchou, calm down. I didn't say I would cheat on you; it's just that Fuji gave me a couple of his plants to be sold here since he didn't want them anymore. Who told you that I was dating him?" groaned Shiraishi.

"So you are really telling the truth? You and Fuji are not romantically involved?" asked Yukimura.

"No, absolutely not, and I am sorry for not telling you this earlier since I have been busy with a lot of things. Also, you already know that Atobe and Ryoma are romantically involved right? Those two are almost going to tie their knots together since this is the start of their so called "Royal Wedding." Continued Shiraishi.

"Yes, I am fully aware of that. This is why I asked Genichirou to take Ryoma out on a dinner date since Atobe needs you and Fuji there immediately after you close up shop. I will also be there to sort some things out with the gang as well since we need to make sure Ryoma feels happy about the people he is going out with since we are all having a close brotherly relationship with that kid because he showed all of us what tennis is about right? So, we have to make it up to him by treating him like he is in love with all of us." Stated Yukimura.

"What did you have in mind?"

"Do you have any tuxedos at your house? Because we need to show them that popularity still wins among boys." Shiraishi immediately smirked at that remark from Yukimura.

"Yes, in fact, I saved some for you and me since we need to dress nicely for our reunion occasion right?" smiled Shiraishi.

"Yup, that's just what we needed." replied Yukimura.

Back in the hotel, Atobe was watching some tennis matches on television when he heard a knock at the door. As he opened it, he could see Genichirou and Ryoma back from shopping and took the flowers from them before setting it on the table. He was hoping that something didn't happen along the way on their journey because he has to take full responsibility for the kid when they return to Tokyo later on.

"So, did you guys have fun together on your mini-date?" asked Atobe.

"We certainly did, I also had to give you this tulip and bonsai to express how grateful you have been towards me and so I hope your girlfriend would like the gift." Said Ryoma.

As Atobe took the plant from Ryoma, he was most surprised by how well it was designed and organized thanks to Shiraishi and he was proposed to thank him later at the restaurant.

"Oh, Ryoma! These are lovely, how could I ever thank you for such a lovely present? I am sure my girlfriend would love these since they will be perfect at my villa alter on. Anyway we should get going for dinner soon. I got your tuxedos ready in the closet since we all need to look professional since this is a big brothers date reunion."

Ryoma and Sanada looked at him with confused faces. "A date reunion with five 14 year old brothers? What does that mean?"

"It means that all of us are going to go out with you in the restaurant, think of it as a dinner date between grown men and a measly brat." Chuckled Atobe as he taps the rim of Ryoma's hat.

"Knock it off, will you? Stop calling me brat!" protested Ryoma.

"Come on now, pipsqueak, we all know you cannot resist us, so have fun!" smiled Genichirou as they stripped off Ryoma's jersey before cleaning him up in the bathroom and changing his clothes into something more professional. Once Ryoma looked in the mirror at his new tuxedo, he was surprised at how handsome he looked since this was his chance to impress the guys and girls tonight.

"Are you ready?" asked the boys.

"More than I will ever be." Said Ryoma. And with that, they dashed off into the sunset towards the restaurant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Dinner date with all five 14 year old brothers at a restaurant? Gee, no wonder the boys have grown so attracted to that kid, now we know why they call him the ladies' man. Anyway though, how will Fuji feel when he meets Shiraishi again? Tune in next time and find out.


	32. The Whole Enchilada

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?

With Ryoma fully dressed in style, he was prepared to show the big boys just how prepared he was for this date. Furthermore, Genichirou and the others had made ryoma change into the man he wanted to be for a long time since this was his chance to show everyone just what love is really about. Furthemore, even Atobe had to admit, he chose the right man for this special occasion since everyone was trying to even out the competition with the o-chibi from seigaku. At first, he resisted because he feels that these guys were just trying to distract him from getting the real girl of his dreams, but after a while, he got used to this so called gentleman love between all of his rivals because there is no way he can say no.  
“Ne, Sanada-sempai? Can I ask you something?” asked Ryoma.  
“Ask away my beloved prince.” Said the emperor.  
“How come you chose me to be the so called fairest prince of love?”  
“Well, Atobe-sama said you were perfect for the job thanks to some assistance from his associates since he was the one that made the whole date possible. After all, he still made you the prince charming and himself the royal highness. Furthermore, his obsession of romance just makes me want to read Shakespeare plays. In fact, he already texted me some of the man’s famous works on my phone.” Stated Genichirou.  
“So, this is all because of a play that made him fall in love with me? That’s just preposterous.” Said Ryoma with an incredulous look.  
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous! Of course its true, if you haven’t read Shakespeare in English, you should spend time doing so since the only thing that your teacher ever taught you is drama and action. It’s high time that your teacher switched to romance subjects so that he can pay attention to some serious love. Besides, your teacher could find true love somewhere since he just needs to look in all the places that he hasn’t visited yet. After all, what’s wrong with finding love?” continued genichirou.  
“Maa, Emperor Genichirou, since when did you become such an expert at finding love?” asked Yukimura from behind him.  
“Well, glad you could join me, Yukimura-buchou! I was just telling Ryoma here that his teacher should get married one of these days because she cannot stay single forever.”  
“Umm… if you haven’t realized, coach Ryuzaki is still in her early 50s.” Mused Yukimura.  
“really? I thought she was still single.” Continued genichirou.  
“Perhaps you haven’t met my teacher yet since she can sometimes be very strict with all of us. Besides, I will let her know what you have said since she could use it to her advantage. After all, your coach hasn’t been married since then, if I am not mistaken?” continued Ryoma.  
“I don’t have a coach since our school never had the money to hire one. Furthermore, the only coach that works us to death is Yukimura-buchou since we have to listen to whatever he tells us to do. After all, he cares about all of us and won’t hesitate to make us run laps if we slack off. A little word of advice for you: don’t get on his bad side.”  
“Don’t worry, I won’t plan to I mean your captain is very similar to Nao Matusbara from Ugomori High School. They are a high school baseball team that faced off against Seido not too long ago. And still, I met them once before at a stadium cheering them on. Besides, if you want to see a slave driver, I got Nao’s number right on my contacts list.” Grinned Ryoma evilly.  
Genichirou looked at his kouhai with stunned silence while elsewhere in the east Tokyo Baseball stadium, a sneeze can be heard from the field. It was from Umemiya Seiichi. “Looks like someone is talking shit about my manager. I will have to teach him a lesson right after the game is over.” Thought the pitcher to himself as he checked his phone for any incoming messages. He was surprised that a mysterious tennis prodigy had his contact information since he did not know where that kid was from.  
“Ryoma-san, your skills at baseball is an understatement, but don’t even try comparing Yukimura to Matsubara since they may be similar in personality, but not in the type of sports they play, got it?” stated Genichirou sternly. “Furthermore, if anyone is stricter, it’s me and me alone, not Akaya or Umemiya since I had an encounter with that freak show not too long ago during batting practice since we had a long rivalry. So don’t even try to compare our school with them.” He then released his face from the collar of Ryoma’s jersey before walking away calmly.  
“Fine, I understand, but still you were a little rough around the edges with Ugomori anyway so don’t be too hard on them. I am sure they can forgive you.” Continued Ryoma.  
Genichirou stopped for a moment and smiled without looking at his kouhai. He just continued moving along with Ryoma following him close behind. As Yukimura watched, he was beginning to think that he made the right decision to choose Sanada as the vice captain of Rikkaidai.  
“Sanada-sempai, you really do care no matter how reserved you are about other people. But I am not as strict as you may think. Besides, I have personally met Matsubara not too long ago after his accident and wished him well. I never realized that he would ensure torture on his teammates. Overall, after my surgery, I promised I wouldn’t use full force on tennis. However, I will try to keep the training down to a minimum since not everyone can be as soft and ease-going as you.” Thought Yukimura to himself.  
As the gang arrived at their destination, they were amazed to find many other students from various schools dressed in tuxedos at their tables, including Shinji Ibu and Kamio Akira. Furthermore, Tomoka, Dan, and Tachibana were also there since they were planning to judge the entire contest to see who are the most well-dressed here. Also as the acting judge is Hanamura from Jyosei shonan and a grandfather from Rokkaku Middle School since Ryoma had met him before. Furthermore, Seigaku had save the old man from near death in the streets previously and Kentaro was thinking that they were trying to hurt him. But with that confusion cleared up, Rokkaku started warming up to Ryoma since they feel that he is famous in the sport of tennis. But Ryoma decided to shrug it off saying “That’s the way I was raised since tennis has been my favorite sport in my childhood years.”  
Elsewhere, Ryoma could see several hands waving at him. As he turned, he could see the elder sempais that he met from before saving a seat for him.  
“Over here, my beloved ryo-kun!” called Shiraishi.  
“We saved a seat for you, brat!” commented Atobe.  
Ryoma immediately waved back at them before taking a seat in between Atobe and Shiraishi while Sanada and Yukimura sat across from Fuji and Tezuka since he called ahead of time to check out this little shindig that Atobe had planned for his lover. Furtherrmore, Tezuka was a bit more reserved about the party, including his first encounter with the little tennis rookie as he started at Seigaku. As time passed, Tezuka put his reserved feelings aside and warmed up to Ryoma just like Tokugawa did. Furthermore, the former captain of Seigaku started having romantic feelings towards the kid while trying to hide it. However, Atobe placed his hand on Tezuka’s shoulders and said, “We know that you are not the only one that loves our brat. I also have loved that kid since the first time we met.”  
Tezuka’s face was beginning to blush at that remark while Inui was collecting data over at the elder sempai’s table. “The probability of Tezuka falling in love with Ryoma: 70 percent.”  
At that moment, the golden pair and the silver pair from across the room saw what was going on and said, “What is up with that cheeky o-chibi being so popular with the seniors of other schools? Look at that guy, he is even letting the girls get attracted to him as well!” protested Kikumaru.  
“Oi, Kikumaru, if anyone is popular, it’s our Atobe-sama since he has gotten people attracted towards him, especially your captain. Look at him, even he couldn’t say much.” Commented Shishido.  
“Oh really? I wouldn’t bet on that since Ryoma can easily surpass Atobe since they were both tied at 117 points during the national tournament. Besides, as a team captain and the mother hen, I have a duty to protect my teammates so don’t try anything funny.” Warned Oishi.  
“Calm down, Oishi. I am sure Shishido-sempai didn’t mean anything like that. He was probably just wanted to let you know about being careful around Atobe since none of us here wants to get on his bad side, especially when he worked hard to reserve this restaurant for all of us, including his sweet boyfriend Ryo-kun. I mean look at him, I just wanted to hug him for hanging out with the big boys over at that table over there. Look at them trying to indulge their romances onto the pipsqueak.” Stated Choutaro with affirmative action.  
“Since when did those 14 year old guys have a thing for that brat?” wondered Shishido.  
“Ever since Tezuka and Fuji started laying eyes on that prodigy from the first day they met him. They were all like, “Oh, you are just too cute, we love you like that.” And “Oh, your skills at tennis just amazes us to no end.” Geez, I think that Ryoma has become the most popular kid since everyone is very attracted towards him. Don’t you think that we should at least get a photo with him?” added Choutaro.  
“Sure, but why though? I thought that the brat didn’t have a thing with us?” asked a confused Shishido.  
“If one of us kisses him on the forehead, maybe he will agree to have us take a photo with him along with the senior sempais.”  
Shishido frowned at his doubles partner and said, “Are you sure this will work? What if that kid doesn’t take much notice on us?”  
“I am sure he will. Besides, we are not causing a big ruckus since I am also a third year student and about the same age as the others over at that table.” Said Yuushi as he faced the silver pair.  
Everyone jaw-dropped at Yuushi’s handsome looks. “Yuushi-sempai, is that you?” asked Kenya  
“Yes cuz, of course it’s me! What do you expect?”   
“I thought you were someone else. What is up with that hairstyle?” continued Kenya  
“Don’t I look so handsome in a ponytail? After all, my family picked out this hairstyle for me because they feel that my date will admire me for playing Prince Charming here in the restaurant.” Smiled Yuushi.  
“Wow, you really have outdone yourself, Yuushi-sempai.” Said Ryoma as he approached his senior sempai.  
“Why thank you, Ryoma-san, you look pretty good yourself. What’s the occasion?” asked Yuushi.  
“Maa, I don’t know. I think Atobe and the others must have organized the party somehow since they forced me to attend this shindig so that they can get “romantically involved” with me. I am starting to think maybe I am just too cute to resist. Now, I know what you are thinking. You probably wanted to date me as well since you waited a long time for this. Now then, care to join me with Atobe and the others?” said Ryoma as he took yuushi’s hand.  
“I’d be glad to, my beloved prince.” Said Yuushi as he bowed at the rookie tennis prodigy.  
Everyone else watched in awe as Ryoma and yuushi grabbed each other by their waists before taking a seat next to Genichirou and Atobe. Furthermore, Kikumaru and Oishi snickered quietly to each other.  
“Man, I wonder if Yuushi is spying on Fuji-sempai?” asked Kikumaru.  
“Who knows, if we know Yuushi, he has a thing with Momo and Ryoma since he knows how to make out with those two lovebirds.” Said Shishido indignantly.  
“Why is he trying to spy on my aniki?” asked Yuuta.  
“Do you remember the Kanto tournament? Yuushi used the Higuma Otooshi in order to see if he wanted to play matchmaker with Ryoma. Once Fuji agreed, he sent the blue-haired tensai a text saying that they will both team up to put that brat to work.” Continued Kamio.  
“I see, my aniki is a true sadist no matter what he does to that cheeky brat. And here I thought his older sister was scary. Well, what can we do?” sighed Yuuta.  
“We just watch the fireworks, dane.” Added Yanagisawa.  
Yuuta huffed in silence while Yuushi and Ryoma took their seats. Furthermore, Momo walked up to them and said, “Are you really here to spy on Fuji?”  
“Why would I? I am not here to play tennis, I am here to date your kouhai.” Stated Yuushi.  
“Since when?” asked Atobe.  
“You people have been hogging him for far too long, it’s time for me to take action and show him my grand mansion after this is over.” Continued Yuushi.  
“Saa, looks like my plan worked after all, right Tezuka-buchou?” smiled Fuji.  
“Hn” was the only reply from Tezuka. Kaido sweat-dropped.  
“Ne, Oshitari-sempai, how come I didn’t get a tour of your place when I was at Atobe’s place? Also since when did you start taking an interest in me? I thought I was Atobe’s boyfriend only, how did everyone else get involved anyway?”  
“You ask a lot of questions, my beloved kouhai. First of all, you are everyone’s boyfriend because Atobe and Fuji had agreed to put you up to be their experimental guinea pig since they plan to use you as a “matchmaker.” Don’t forget, you are still our bachelor so you got all the potential candidates for one on one dates here. Furthermore, don’t screw this up since we all pitched in.”   
“You’re seriously in lover with me, aren’t you? No wonder I see you pick me up from school each week while causing a big ruckus among the girls outside Seigaku. Do they really know about our relationships?”   
“They do, but I am keeping this between you, me, my cousin, and my buchou since no one can blame me for my irresistible good looks and charming personality. Besides, if I wanted to be the hottest man of Hyotei, I would love to be on the front page of tennis weekly. You should be thanking me for having the pleasure to date me. Imagine what Atobe would say when he had you tied up at his house just for kisses and tea?”  
Ryoma gave himself a moment to think that over before turning his attention to Yuushi. “No way, I would have nightmares about it again since dresses are not my forte.”  
“Of course not, and I promise not to put you in that dress as long as you date one of the other tensais for each month as part of the agreement. Besides, your cousin has asked me to send each of them to your house for dinner every month. And with permission from Tezuka-buchou, he agreed to my proposal as long as you do your part to make us happy.”  
“Nani? You asked Tezuka to be in on this? Are you out of your mind?” asked Ryoma angrily.  
“calm down, brat! Everyone knows about our romantic relationships since Kenya and I have talked with our captain and therefore, he needed every single school to contribute to the date. Besides, Gakuto wasn’t about to take no for an answer but I talked him out of it thanks to Hiyoshi. Finally, Kamio has asked my captain to look after Ann tachibana so that she wouldn’t be a nuisance to the Fudomine team during practice. Besides, you and I will be in the school newspaper really soon.” Smiled Yuushi as he planted a kiss on Ryoma’s lips.  
The kiss lasted for a while as everyone watched in amusement. Even Kirihara and Shinji shuddered in disbelief at what was going on. Furthermore, a smiling Syusuke Fuji picked up his camera and immediately took their photo before sending it to the reporters of Tennis magazine. At that moment, Ryoma was looking flushed and flustered after that kiss with the blue-haired tensai from Hyotei while Atobe and the others tried to hold back their laughter.  
“You really sure know how to kiss people, don’t you, yuu-chan?” smiled Ryoma.  
“That’s my specialty, Ryo-kun! I like the nickname. Besides, I can’t help myself since I am surrounded by beautiful women all over the place.” Continued Yuushi.  
Everyone else had confused looks on their faces. “Yuu-chan?” asked Kenya. “Since when did that brat start making up nicknames for my cousin?”  
“I think your cousin is favoring Ryoma more than he does of you.” Added Shiraishi.  
“NOOOOOO!” yelled Kenya.  
“Tarundoru! Calm yourself down, Oshitari Kenya! They are just having some alone time together! Just give them time to adjust.” Stated genichirou.  
Kenya did what he was told and didn’t say anything else. Furthermore, the kiss was filled with passion and desire as Yuushi cupped his lips towards Ryoma and they hugged like lovesick puppies. At that moment, Yuushi took this time to slip his tongue into Ryoma’s mouth in order to explore every single part of it. As Atobe and Shiraishi watched, they rubbed their temples and wondered what exactly his vice-captain was planning with that boyfriend of his.  
After a few minutes, Yuushi managed to pull himself free from Ryoma’s grasp before sipping down on some water while Ryoma poured himself some juice since the kiss was a little too much for him to handle. However, Ryoma brushed off the blush on his face and turned his attention towards the captains, “Well? Did I pass your little test? I must have fulfilled your end of the bargin.” Said Ryoma.  
“You certainly did, my lovely bachelor. But now, I want you to tackle your next assignment since Yuushi has to take a phone call. I must admit, you really have warmed up to everyone here so far and I am impressed with how well you’ve handled yourself today. We all love you a lot and still, our love for you is unsurpassed. I will let you in on a little secret, the Oshitari family is filled with doctors so if you ever have a medical issue, feel free to ask them.” Stated Atobe.  
“I am guessing they must be pretty famous, ja ne. Besides, I do believe Yukimura has been a patient at one of Yuushi’s hospitals since he is getting some very good treatment for his illness. I do believe he is in good hands. However, I don’t know about Shiraishi, but I think he is falling for Yukimura-buchou because he has known about the child of god’s condition for quite some time so I do believe they deserve some quality time together as well. Apparently, I have known Shiraishi’s secret for some time now since he had confronted Yukimura previously because those two haven’t formed a romantic relationship together.” Finished Ryoma.  
“You’re very perceptive, nii-chan! Although my illness is not debilitating, I still have ways to prevent it from spreading to my body. And I am glad that Shiraishi still looks out for me. If you must know, I did apologize to him for not telling my true feelings towards the health expert and it was very foolish on my part. However, I have atoned for my mistakes and I am ready to give Shiraishi another chance.”   
“Aww, yuki-chan! Do you really mean that?” said a blushing Shiraishi.  
“Every word of it, buchou.” Finished. Yukimura.  
Everyone else had a look of happiness in their eyes while Kikumaru and Momo laughed like crazy. “Hey Ochibi, great job in dating Oshitari Yuushi, I am sure his family will be moer than happy to arrange the wedding for you soon.”  
“Oh shut it, sempais! I am never getting married. After all, this is just a date and not an official wedding.” Grunted Ryoma.  
“Yeah sure, whatever you say, ochibi. But don’t forget, Atobe-sama has asked you to date all the boys here including your senior sempais so do not screw this up. You are buying burgers for Seigaku tomorrow afternoon after school after we went through all the trouble of getting all the boys here to date you.” Said Kikumaru evilly.  
“You fucking sadist!” yelled Ryoma. “Why am I the one to buy you guys food?”  
“Saa, Ryo-chan. If you refuse, you will not be able to date any women at Rikkaidai or Hyotei. Instead, you will be assigned to dating my sister for the rest of the week.” Said fuji as he glared at the rookie.  
“That’s not fair! Why am I the one always a victim of your pranks? Besides, aren’t you guys supposed to be on my side? I am trying to prevent myself from being publicly humiliated here!” protested Ryoma.  
“Relax dude, no one is trying to humiliate you. We all wanted to make sure you were the perfect candidate to date all the popular boys here and to our surprise, you passed our test with flying colors. Furthermore, as your friends we order you to keep kissing the men in your life and don’t stop until you are told to do so. You must repeat this process each day until you have mastered it, is that understood?” called Gakuto.  
“Acrobat-sempai, you are in on this too? How can you be so nonchalant about this? Let me guess, you must have conspired with Yuushi-semapi to put me up to this didn’t you?” said Ryoma as he grabbed Gakuto by his shoulders.  
Gakuto looked at the kid for a second and said, “No way! Why would I do something so highly inappropriate? Atobe-sama was the one that planned the whole thing! You should be grateful, dude!”   
“I am, but I just don’t understand how everyone else had gotten involved in my date thing. I asked Atobe to date me alone, but it seems that all of you guys couldn’t say no and decided to join on the fun, am I correct?” asked an indignant ryoma.  
“We were bored and thought to ourselves, if Ryo-chan here is dating people; we wanted a piece of the action. Besides, you cannot be hogging everyone to yourself, can you?” smiled Tanishi dryly.  
Ryoma didn’t know what else to say as he shrugged it off and took his seat next to the five 14 year old sempais since all he got were smiles around him along with deadly auras coming from Fuji and Yukimura.  
“Well, are you going to accept our love for you, or are you just too chicken to follow through with our plan, brat?” asked an irritated Atobe.  
“Hey! I am not a chicken, I can easily follow orders, you know!” protested Echizen.  
“Saa… I like it when you are hot and sexy in that tuxedo, it makes me want to kiss you even more in my bed!” said Fuji bluntly as he made Ryoma blush.  
Everyone sweat-dropped at Fuji’s response which earned laughter from the Seigaku team and everyone else. They have never seen him saying anything like this before.  
“Does anyone else here think that my brother is a rapist?” asked Yuuta.  
All of the members of Higa and Shitenhouji nodded in agreement since they are not planning to sleep with that sadist fucker in his house anytime soon. Many of the others wouldn’t dare cross that sadistic sempai because he can easily dispatch anyone that badmouths him, especially during school hours. However, he can be soft and friendly towards kids at times, but out on the field of tennis, he takes the game seriously.  
As the party went on through the night, Ryoma danced with his lovers before sharing kisses with everyone around him since he was considered to be pretty popular among the guys. As for the girls they didn’t take much notice of the kid with raven hair since none of them seem to find him attractive. But Ryoma didn’t care as long as he fulfills the goal of trying to win the hearts of his sempais since each of them are going to ensure that the brat kisses everyone here in order to make sure the date goes smoothly because there is no way that Ryoma would leave this restaurant until he completes his assignment.  
“You guys are real slave drivers, you know that?” groaned Ryoma.  
“You are our little chibisuke so we have to work your ass off. Besides, we can’t let you stay inside the house all day with nothing to do. Therefore, Atobe and Sanada dragged you out here to flirt with all the guys. Do you understand what love means? It means that you have finally entered into the world of romanticism. It’s like a cup of flowers blooming into the spring sun and we have seen you blossom into a mature teen. Therefore, we understand your feelings perfectly because Sanada-sempai had a really bad experience with love once since he mixed it with infatuation. Once he met you and Atobe at the hotel, he didn’t know what to say to you when he found out you were in bed sleeping together.” Stated Yukimura.  
“yeah, my gardening partner is right you know. After he visited Yukimura in the hospital, I told him to keep on fighting to get strong and not hold anything back. Besides, when the buchou from Rikkaidai told me about you, I wanted to experience what love is to me and how I wanted to personally meet you one day. As I had that dream of seeing the prodigy from Seigaku, it just makes me want to get you to come to Shitenhouji to hone your skills even further. And still, we will be the first to teach you on how to get the guys.” Added Shiraishi.  
At that moment, Ryoma was too shocked to say anything while Akaya snickered. “Are you kidding me? If Sanada fuku-buchou ever falls in love with that seigaku brat, the sky will definitely fall on our heads.” He exclaimed.  
“That’s not very nice.” Said Jackal.  
“Hey, I am only stating the facts here. After all, Sanada is human, he can’t possibly have chosen Ryoma as his candidate.”  
“What do you mean, Akaya? If I tell you that Ryoma is dating me, he will comply. I could say the same for you since you are still single. Also stop trying to get your stuffed animals to fall for you, they are not human.” Replied Sanada.  
“Hey! Why are you…” began Akaya.  
“Akaya! Enough! Unless you want to run laps?” Akaya could see the voice of Yukimura turning ice cold at him as he glared daggers at his teammate. He knew well enough not to piss off his captain as he sighed in resignation at defeat. Furthermore, Ryoma wasn’t sure where seaweed head was going with that statement as the gang continued eating at their respective tables.  
Several hours later, everyone paid their bills and took their turns ordering drinks to celebrate Ryoma’s successful attempts at dating men since he could only bow his head in shame for not trying to disperse the crowd sooner. He was certain that these boys will probably want to see his house afterwards since he barely gave people any tours in his place. After all, what would love be without a visit to the prince’s residence?  
“I do believe that Atobe’s house is a lot bigger than Ryoma’s place since we both know that he and Yuushi are loaded. Furthermore, I think the prince has been there before so we all should check out Atobe’s place for ourselves so that we can continue dancing the night away since he was the one that started the whole love affair with Ryoma. It then triggered all of us to follow suit. After all, this ingenious plan wouldn’t have been possible without Atobe and his crew because they were nice enough to spread the love all over the place.” Stated Kikumaru.  
“You’re right Eiji, I do think atobe should invite us all to his place for the dance party since I am sure his family is probably out of town right now. Though I do think it would be wise for us to ask him if its okay.” Said Yuushi. They then turned their attention towards the ladies man for confirmation.  
“Ore-sama will be more than happy to invite you all to my place and also I am sure Yuushi-sempai would be happy to invite you all to his place later on. I mean both of us are close friends since I mentioned to you all that Yuushi’s family are comprised of doctors. His cousin also wanted to be a doctor so we shall see if this is possible. Besides, Ryoma has seen my place but he hasn’t been to the vice-captain’s house yet so I am sure he will be happy once he gets introduced to Yuushi’s family later on.” Smiled Atobe.  
Everyone else nodded in agreement as they paid their tabs before heading off towards Atobe’s mansion since ryoma realizes the night was not going to be over yet. He could end up having weird dreams once this is all over. But the time he spent with the senior Sempais seems to have given him an edge as he heads off into the limo. “Geez, and here I thought people were never going to give up on me, but there is not much I can do now. After all, I am the one that agreed to Atobe’s proposal so I cannot back out of this. Would I be taught anything inappropriate? Who knows?” he thought to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes  
> This chapter took a few days to write out since I was away on vacation and barely had time to write. So now, I will try to do more chapters once a week and will continue to post them on fanfiction.net for you all to enjoy. Anyway though, I feel that Atobe and Ryoma’s little relationship has been getting stronger as they continue seeing each other from time to time. How did Yuushi get into the picture you ask? Well, he has seen how well the kid demonstrated his ability to get others to fall for him and said that he would do whatever it takes to ensure the prince gets to and from various locations on time. In other words, everyone will take good care of him since Atobe asked Ryoma to spread his love on everyone else that he knows. But how long can this last? We will see that next time. Be sure to read and review.


	33. Atobe's Hidden Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Ryoma gets word that the hyotei captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up as a secret is kept between them and Ryoma's friends. Are they dating each other or is this all a ploy to bring two rivals as one together?
> 
> Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis isn't mine and I will never own it

A few days later after the club party, Genichirou and Atobe were still trying to confess their true love for Ryoma since the rookie tennis prodigy has no idea whom he is truly wooing for. Furthermore, there is still the question of getting ready for the nationals soon and everyone still needs to be mentally and physically prepared for an event like this. Many of the other schools are working hard to prepare after that relaxing break. However, for Sanada and Atobe, it was a different story.

Those two lovebirds still haven't resolved their obsession over Ryoma since the big boys always had a thing for him, but Sanada feels that Atobe was stealing all the glory away from him since he was trying his best to control his emotions, but he feels that the time to relax wasn't in his repertoire since he was lost in thought as to what sort of decision to make on the brat due to the love triangle taking effect on him. Just then, Yukimura walked up to his friend and said, "Hey, Genichirou, are you ready for the nationals?"

Sanada turned and glanced at his best friend and captain because he found it odd to see his captain standing beside him after his surgery. Furthermore, the captain was more than ready to take down any opponent in the nationals as long as he takes it easy on his body.

"Yes of course, with our team complete, we still have to remain vigilant if we want to win."

Yukimura chuckled at that response since he feels better with his vice-captain around him. Although Sanada was still a bit stiff, he was very flexible and has the ability to get along with his kouhais. All Sanada needed to do was to relax as long as he was able to do so.

"I don't think our team will lose focus."

"I still have my doubts."

Yukimura was confused at that response. "Oh, why do you say that?"

"Akaya tends to get side tracked and Marui always spends time reading magazines and chewing bubble gum day after day. I can't believe those guys have such short attention spans." Replied Sanada.

"They like to enjoy a long break after practice. True, we still have to work hard at practice, but it doesn't hurt to relax once in a while." Smiled yukimura.

Sanada only huffed at that response before he went silent. Yukimura then chuckled at him.

"What's so amusing to you?"

"You love Ryoma, don't you? I believe you spent a lot of time with that kid since he knows how to enjoy himself."

"Yeah at the expense of his other big brothers in the club, and here I thought I would never mention that brat's name ever again."

Yukimura managed to playfully poke Sanada in the arm and grinned.

"That little brat was very cooperative to say the least, you had a thing for him and I know you enjoyed that party and I can see it in your eyes that you've developed feelings for ryo nii-chan. Come on, admit it you are blushing!"

Sanada blushed furiously at that remark from his captain while face palming like crazy. "Yukimura-buchou, I enjoyed the party and the company with that cheeky rookie, but when I am around Atobe, I am so not comfortable with him hogging my lover all to himself. He thinks he is prince charming or something. This is why I never enjoy parties with Atobe around." He fumed.

"Why didn't you try to leave the party?"

"you don't understand, the moment you ask him to keep out of Ryoma's love life, he just goes for the gusto and will command people to do as he says."

Yukimura rubbed his chin for a moment before continuing.

"Sanada I-"

"No, don't get me started on trying to get me to escape that madman, he even forced me to get on the same bed in the hotel last time. Can you honestly believe that sexist pervert? Those two are sleeping together in the same bed naked!" shouted Sanada.

"Genichirou, I highly doubt that you are a victim of Atobe's crazy stunts. He can't even hold you by force if he wanted to. After all, you are bigger than he is and most likely stronger too. As for Atobe's stature, he is not that impressive. Besides, it's not like he was threatening your life or anything." Sighed Yukimura.

"Buchou, you don't understand. Atobe has a lot of powerful abilities that no human could ever understand. If I was running, he would probably send Kuranosuke or the Yakuza after me or something…."

The captain looked at his teammate with confusion on his face.

"Yakuza? They don't exist anymore."

Sanada looked at his captain with a stoic expression while Yukimura continued to stare at the vice-captain questioningly, but he was cold as a statue. Sometimes, the captain wondered what was going through the fukubuchou's mind, but there was one thing that bugged him: Sanada having fear and dread of Atobe.

"Really? I would have to agree, but he is not a mafia boss."

The two tennis gods turned to face Niou masaharu, the joker of Rikkai grinning mischievously at the leaders of Rikkai.

"Think about it, how did Atobe come up with the money to reserve a club for all the tennis players and his date? It has to be his father with a high end job. But still, the stuff that Atobe has gotten for the club is more than what his father's salary can afford."

"They are rich, so could it be some sort of zaibatsu?"

Sanada sighed in frustration as another tennis star with glasses joined in on the conversation.

"Yagyuu, don't try to instigate Sanada's fantasies since he can't admit his true feelings for Ryoma."

Yukimura ignored the cold gare and the frustration building up from Sanada since Atobe has covered the charges for all the players. Furthermore, the king of Hyotei could harass them all he wanted without having anyone else to deal with this mess. Despite that, Atobe does have a soft spot for little kids, but not everyone feels that way about him.

"Niou's argument does not have any logic to it."

Sanada fukubuchou was prepared to close off this topic as it was starting to get out of hand, but he had no such luck when Yanagi Renji, the demon of Rikkai interrupted them.

"Statistically, there is a 95.4 percent chance that Atobe has a strong connection with zaibatsu and Yakuza all together.

"Who said anything about yakuza!?" shouted Sanada.

"It's your fault for bringing that up." Said Renji.

Sanada had the urge to beat up the demon, but he couldn't bring himself to do so as Yukimura chuckled at his sudden lack of control over the other rikkai members.

"Whatever guys, just leave me out of this." Replied Sanada as he tugged the corner of his cap before storming out of the locker room. Yukimura watched him depart down the hallway and sighed.

"Sometimes Sanada needs to learn to have some fun sometimes, he just needs time to deal with stress."

Renji nodded as he stood beside Yukimura while watching Sanada disappear into another hallway.

"Is there a way that we can help him relax? How about we get someone for the job?"

"You and Yukimura-buchou are really close to him, could you guys do it?" said yagyuu.

Everyone agreed with that statement, but Renji and yukimura shooked their heads and said, "Sorry, we wish we can help, but I have to help Yukimura catch up on what he missed at school."

"Our success rate would drop if one of us did it." Sighed yagyuu.

At that moment, Kirihara casted renji a questioning look.

"Why shouldn't we help him? It doesn't make sense."

"Actually, it makes sense to us."

Everyone turned to look at Niou for a moment and agreed.

"At this point, Sanada sees us as important members of the Rikkai tennis team that he is a part of. If we hang around him for much longer, it will be considered an extended tennis practice. Furthermore, what do you say one of us call up Ryoma? I mean that brat has been visited by Sanada on several different occasions. Therefore, fukubuchou is still the same uptight guy we all know, love, and fear."

"Exactly." Said Marui.

"So what shall we do?" asked Jackal.

"I got a plan." Said Yukimura. He smiled cheerily as he gestured for the other members of his team to come closer. After their little huddle, many of them broke apart grinning like crazy.

"Won't Sanada get mad at us?" asked a nervous akaya

"Who cares if he gets mad at us or not? He needs to relax a bit since it is worth is. Besides, as a fukubuchou, he has to act accordingly for this team." Stated Jackal.

"All, right, I will give him a call." Said Yukimura as he picked up the phone and dialed Atobe's number.

That day, everyone resumed practice as usual while others went about their business. Although all wasn't going well as it should have been, concentration was what bothered him. Furthermore, Sanada was supposed to be rejoicing at his team staying focused, but after that conversation in the hall, he wasn't sure if he could ever start a conversation with his friends.

"is something troubling Sanada?" asked Jackal.

"Nah, he just needs time to think about what we had said. I am sure he will be fine. Everyone else is doing exactly what they should be doing." Replied Yukimura.

Sanada didn't say anything else because his captain could tell otherwise. At this point, they both decided that it is best to keep quiet about the whole thing. As for practice, they continued in the same manner without any other incidents. After everything was cleared out of the clubhouse, Sanada made sure the door was completely closed before walking home. As Sanada thought back to practice, he wanted to see if he could remember anything else out of the ordinary, but he couldn't come up with anything. The minute he thought about it, he ended up freezing without having a chain of thought. At this rate, tennis practice was on everyone's mind and they were concentrating on trying to hone their skills. Did that mean that Sanada was goofing off?

After Sanada eliminated the unpleasant features from his head, he found himself at the doorsteps of his house and looked it through. It was still large and built in a more traditional Japanese style. "Such a boring house, I wish I could live at Ryoma's place." Thought Sanada to himself as he walked inside, slipped his shoes off and changed into the house slippers.

"I'm home." Called Sanada.

"How was your day, dear?" asked his mother.

"It was fine."

"That's good. I left some dinner for you."

Sanada nodded as he went into the bathroom to wash up for dinner before heading to his room. Every day was the same with him even after his defeat at the hands of Ryoma since he couldn't find any other ways to get stronger. However, he learned a lot from his match with the seigaku brat and would do whatever it takes to have a rematch with him again in the nationals later on. But after that date with Ryoma, Sanada wasn't sure about asking him for that match when Atobe is around. After dinner, he went to take a shower before settling his school belongings down on the ground. He then focused on his homework assignments while ceasing to think about other things.

The following day, Sanada woke up the same time as he did and headed towards the dining room for breakfast. Today was a Saturday so he should have plenty of free time to do his daily routines. His father was eating silently before looking across the table at his son.

"So, what's your plan for today?"

"Well, I am going to practice at the dojo before I meet up with Marui and Jackal at the arcades later this afternoon." Said Sanada.

Sanada's father gave him a nod of approval before returning to his breakfast. That was just sanada since he couldn't have a conversation going with his parents unlike Atobe does. He knew if he could, he would like to have longer talks with his family, but no one in his family are particularly social. After Sanada finished his breakfast, he changed in to his training hakama. He was planning to start with the sword kata, but his mind was too distracted with other things, one of which was the way everyone acted the other day. "This is not going to work for my mind, I need to clear my head of unpleasant images." He thought to himself.

And to do that, he had to meditate because this was the only way for the fukubuchou to gather himself some time for peace and quiet. As he kneeled on the floor and settled down, he closed his eyes before taking a deep breath. He then exhaled slowly in order to think about good things while gradually driving everything else out from his mind. After that, he began to gain a sense of peace and tranquility. As Sanada continued to meditate, something was caught in his throat, but he continued to keep his eyes closed while balancing out his thoughts by breathing. He found that this was gradually getting difficult to do. At this point, Sanada debated on whether or not he should continue meditation in order to find out what was going on, but after a while, he opened his eyes and was shocked to see a familiar face standing outside of the dojo doorway, thereby letting all the air leaving his lungs.

"What the hell are you doing here, Ryoma?"

"Why? Can't a rookie come here to meditate with you?" said Ryoma indignantly.

Sanada groaned at that remark as Ryoma settled down next to his lover before resuming their meditation.

"What is your other boyfriend doing here?" asked Sanada.

"Did I disturb you? I thought I would wait until you guys finished meditating." Smiled Atobe.

Sanada was confused as to why those two lovebirds managed to intrude into his residence without permission and how long they have been sitting and staring at him. But then again, he feels that it was better not to ask.

"Keigo, how did you find me here? Your presence alone is disturbing.

"How rude, and here I came all the way to see you."

At that moment, Sanada was deeply disturbed. The thought of Atobe being here was beyond his comprehension and he was positive that this was going to cause more trouble for his family.

"Why me?" groaned Sanada.

"Ore-sama needs his good graces to lighten your day."

"Doesn't Tezuka need you the most?"

"Sorry, but Tezuka is busy prepping for the nationals and the world cup since he does not want to deal with my love life.

"I see, but you can see that I am busy as well."

"Nope, I don't see you working on anything else."

"Doesn't meditation count as work?"

"That means you are not doing anything and meditation doesn't count. Therefore, you need to come with me."

Atobe grinned while Ryoma snickered quietly. Sanada was really beginning to get annoyed at those two invading his privacy as he tried to move backwards away from the sly diva.

"Where are we going?" asked Sanada.

"Outside into society, you need to go to places that you haven't visited."

"Sorry, but that is not going to happen. How about a duel? If you win, I will go with you. But if I win, you and your lovebird must leave, do we have a deal?"

Sanada observed Atobe taking the wooden sword before looking straight into his eyes.

"Deal."

This was a rare moment to see two rivals falling for the same kid dueling one another since Sanada was a kendo master. He knew Atobe would never beat him since everyone has the limits. He was positive that Atobe never dueled before and this will give fukubuchou the upper hand.

"You're going down, and Ryoma will be mine!"

"You think so? Ore-sama still has dibs on that brat."

"He is my boyfriend until I saw otherwise."

Atobe just lightly shrugged and smirked as he moved into a defensive stance while positioning himself in offensive mode. Sanada was impressed that his rival knew a basic stance like this, but then again, most people did if they ever watched Samurai Deeper Kyo or Ruroni Kenshin. Therefore, no one had anything to worry about. At that instance, Atobe sidestepped backwards as he watched Sanada charged forward with lightning speed before bringing the boken towards an upward swing.

"You are going to have to do a lot better than that to beat me." Said Sanada.

"Try it, you will see that I am also a master swordsman." Replied Atobe.

As Atobe approached, Sanada could see that his opponent was holding the boken in a very odd manner while Ryoma recorded the whole thing on his video camera. But Sanada didn't take much notice as he adjusted his sword's position before trying a quick thrust on Atobe.

Atobe did something unexpected as he swung his sword, connecting it with Sanada's weapon, leaving him caught off guard. This was to show that Sanada wasn't prepared for a move and he lost a bit of his balance. Furthermore, he kept his eyes glued on Atobe smiling at him. Once more, Atobe had a chance to rush towards Sanada while his guard was down again, leaving the boken into another swing. This time with the boken on his shoulder, he kept his eyes on Sanada's grip before be brought the sword crashing down onto the floor. Sanada quickly picked up his weapon to try and block, but his grip was still too weak and he could see Atobe's boken was right at his throat.

"Ore-sama no bigi ni yoina!" called atobe.

He was victorious at that match and was pretty proud of it. Even ryoma smiled at how well these two had fought despite the fact that Sanada was going head to head at a sport that he had no knowledge about, except for tennis of course.

"There are no words to describe how I feel about this loss." Groaned Sanada as he dropped to the flooron is back with his eyes closed. He had just lost to Atobe at the one sport that he was positive to win. As Sanada took a deep breath, he felt something plop on his stomach. When Sanada opened his eyes, he could see Atobe sitting casually on him as if he was a floor cushion.

"Ore-sama loves to keep everyone speechless with his victories."

"Get off of me, please." Grunted Sanada.

"Not until I have your full cooperation."

"Fine, I will do that on my honor or what little of it I have left. And also, Ryoma will still be in love with me no matter what happens. You got that?"

Atobe grinned and nodded triumphantly and stood up. Once Sanada straightened out his clothes, he questioned Atobe.

"Did you use tennis techniques?"

"Very observant of you, does that mean you are impressed by my skills?

"As clever as you think you are, you have used one of the tennis grips that gave you more reach since you held the sword at the base."

"Yes of course, my genius is unsurpassed. I hope you enjoyed that last move since it was so beautiful." Smiled Atobe as he danced around the dojo like crazy while Sanada sweat-dropped.

"How come sports like these always have to involve tennis?"

"I wondered that question myself, it's what makes tennis so great besides just me.

Sanada could only face-palm as Atobe laughed.

"get yourself ready."

"What are you and I going to do?"

"You are going to take Ryoma to date Kuranosuke Shiraishi.

"So that was your secret you have hidden for so long? What is wrong with you? You want that poor sap to date a health advising psycho in western japan?"

"Yes, but he is not a psycho since I want you to call him and ask him to show the kid around places just like when you came crawling and begging me to let you take that brat to the club last night to meet with some stoic girls. I must admit, I am impressed that some of the girls at the club took interest in Ryoma and I am very happy that your mission succeeded. That's why this next assignment is of utmost importance to me." Said Atobe.

"What do you mean by stoic girls? Just what exactly are you planning here? Aren't you the one that is in love with that brat?" growled Sanada.

"Now now, no need for that sort of temper. You see, stoic girls are not my type and after my recent breakup with my girlfriend, I just don't feel that girls are attracted to me. Only cute boys like Ryoma will win my heart."

"I don't buy your story for one bit." Groaned Sanada.

"Please, I am so over girls, I have an addiction with males because they are just so hot like me. Imagine myself at the beach in Nagano where all the high school boys seeing me in my speedos they will beg for their girlfriends to check out a hottie like me."

Sanada raised his hand to stop Atobe from continuing to talk about his weird fetishes. "That's where your issues are, you just don't want to give the girls a chance. Besides, I have seen plenty of girls fall for a guy like me when I am playing volleyball with Yukimura. I just couldn't believe that you have an ego that is the size of Russia."

Atobe wasn't fazed by that comment at all much to the amusement of Sanada since he was having a verbal disagreement with Atobe.

"Well then, the girls are up for debate." Replied Atobe.

"I don't think we should continue the conversation. Anyway, I will try and hook up Kuranosuke with Ryoma, but I hope this plan of yours will work." Warned Sanada.

"Don't worry, I always have a back-up plan in case this one fails. However, I feel that you are very slow at picking some things up."

"I don't normally talk to girls unless they ask me out for a date or if they have relationship problems with other men of their same age."

"You don't need to have a conversation with a girl straight away, but with flowers, champagne, and a phone call, that girl will instantly fall for you no matter what they look like. That is if you plan to lose your virginity."

"Excuse me?"

Atobe jaw dropped at that response. He couldn't believe that Sanada never heard of such a phrase before and from the way that he was talking, Sanada would have understood the joke, but this was not the case.

"Wait, don't tell you never fucked a girl before marrying them?"

"Atobe, what the hell are you talking about? What does losing viriginity have to do with getting a girl to like me? Dude, you are not making any sense at all. Just go into the living room and watch television or so until I come out." He then faced Ryoma and said, "you too brat. I don't want you anywhere near my bed and you will not tell anyone about the conversation that we had today, is that understood?"

Ryoma nodded his head as he and atobe left the dojo. Atobe stopped for a moment and turned to Sanada and said, "get yourself ready. There is much to do before the day is over."

"I know that! Can you guys please give me some privacy?" boomed Sanada as he slammed the door shut.

Atobe and Ryoma settled down in the living room couch while reading a couple of tennis magazines to keep themselves occupied, but as for Ryoma he suddenly started giggling like crazy at what Atobe had said earlier. "Man, you are such a riot, I just can't believe Sanada never had a girlfriend before in his life."

"Well you know him, he just needs to find the perfect girl for his age. I think he is just having trouble accepting love just like you did when we first met. After a while, I think he will get used to having girls at his place."

"yeah, I agree with you on that one. Still, do you think he is ready for this?" asked Ryoma.

"I certainly hope so, because I am planning to give him a lesson on fashion later on." Replied Atobe.

After thirty minutes, Sanada took off his old clothes and put on a shirt from the back of his closet, the same ones that he wore when he and yukimura went to the club. He quickly took some slacks and a casual button up shirt before making sure they were buttoned properly. He then grabbed his hat from the corner of his chair and headed towards the living room.

"Darling Sanada, you look like the real prince charming." Smiled his mom as she quickly grabbed her phone and took a few pictures of the new Sanada. He feared this was going to be even worse than before. Atobe was in the process of talking with Sanada's mother who was smiling and clapping her hands in entertainment since this was something that he never saw before.

"Oh genichirou, your friend and I were having a conversation.

"That's… cool"

"you look really good in those clothes , my son. You should hang around Atobe and Ryoma since they are good influences for you."

"yes mother, they are very nice to have around."

Atobe lightly chuckled as he watched Sanada trying to be polite but having trouble admitting his true love. In order to save his friend from any other awkward situations, Atobe stood up and bowed elegantly at his mother who giggled like crazy.

"It was so nice meeting you, if you will allow us, we will take your son for some fun time."

"of course, you guys have a great time!"

Sanada smiled at his mother who waved as the three tennis stars headed towards the door. Afterwards, Sanada turned towards atobe.

"What the heck were you doing?"

"Talking to your mother of course. You know she is really fun to talk to because you don't get your social skills from her. I haven't met your father yet, but still I didn't know you got your looks from your mom."

"I see you got a friend there. What's your name?" asked the father.

Both turned to face the man of the house and Atobe was mildly surprised at what he saw The father didn't look that much like his son, but they shared a striking similarity.

"Father, this is Atobe Keigo and he attends Hyotei Gakuen and was my partner during the Junior Selection tournament. He is also dating Ryoma Echizen since those two are lovers."

"I see, so he has a boyfriend. That's so cool. Allow me to congratulate you on your successful date with the brat from Seigaku. After all, marriage runs in the family. It's also a pleasure to meet you, Atobe-kun."

Atobe blushed at that remark but nonetheless, shook the man's hand. "Likewise, I am so honored to meet the father of the rikkai emperor."

Much to Sanada's surprise, the father laughed and this wasn't something that the son would expect. He then looked at Atobe's charming smile while doing nothing else. It was amazing to see atobe getting Sanada's parents to open up to him while he himself had difficulty in getting a social conversation out of them.

"You sure have a very interesting friend. Now then you guys should get going, don't let me keep you."

"Of course, it was great meeting you." Replied Atobe as they left the house before bowing at him again.

As the trio left, Sananda walked up towards Atobe and said, "How did you do that? What did you do to get my parents to talk like that?"

"This isn't rocket science, I suppose that they are quiet people, but when they are relaxed , they are very amicable. That's where your problem lies I suppose."

Sanada didn't understand what his partner was talking about, but then again, he had a feeling that this was going to come up sooner or later so he decided not to pursue it any further.

"So, no vehicles today?"

"Nope, we are going to be riding a train towards Osaka so that we can introduce Ryoma to the health advisor. We have all day to get there so just relax."

"I always thought that the car would get you there much faster."

"See, you need to stop and smell the roses. You will find that they are wonderful and will offer some comforting experiences for you."

"Is that a figure of speech?" asked an amused Sanada.

"Of course!" said atobe as he whacked Sanada upside the head as they headed towards the train station since Kuranosuke is prepared to give Ryoma a taste of what true love really feels like. Furthermore, there is a chance that Kintaro might join them as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay, I had to add the Samurai anime as references for this chapter since Sanada is a huge fan of those series. This chapter also stems from the junior camp where there is an Atobe, Sanada, and Kuranosuke tennis triangle. This is a running joke where Atobe would view this as a warped love triangle since tezuka would completely ignore it and gets taken out of the equation and his position gets filled by the health expert, leaving sanada clueless. There you have it. If you have any questions about this chapter, feel free to ask me because you will find the entire chapter to be funny. So don't think too hard and just accept it for what it is. I had fun writing this chapter and I hope you will all have fun reading it as well.
> 
> By the way, "Ore-sama no bigi ni yoina" means "Be awed by my prowess" since this is a phrase that has been used many times throughout history.


	34. A Business Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyotei's First Date
> 
> When Ryoma gets word that the hyotei captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up as a secret is kept between them and Ryoma's friends. Are they dating each other or is this all a ploy to bring two rivals as one together?
> 
> Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis isn't mine and I will never own it

Sanada wasn't sure what to think now after that fiasco with Atobe last night. But he can't stop thinking about it because he has to find a way to get back at the narcissistic diva for intruding in his residence. As he got up, he grabbed his phone and saw several text messages from Atobe wanting him to meet at his mansion in about 30 minutes. Furthermore, it was 8:15 am in the morning and Sanada didn't have much time to waste. As the emperor of tennis got up, he dashed into the bathroom to take care of business without disturbing Yukimura's slumber.

Aftterwards, Sanada went downstairs and could see breakfast awaiting him. Thinking quickly, he drank milk as usual and ate both bagels before leaving for Atobe's mansion since there was some unfinished business that needed to be discussed. Atobe did remind Sanada to relax since he was supposed to be happy because he has to thank the diva for taking good care of Ochibi.

Thirty minutes later, Sanada could hear a car honking outside of his house and realized that it must be one of Atobe's butlers since he knows that the diva must have sent for him. Thinking quickly, Sanada picked up the morning paper from the table and grabbed a bottled ice tea and headed out the door towards the car and said, "Good morning, I take it Atobe must have sent you here?"

"I wouldn't be working for Atobe if I didn't pick you up. Now then, please try to contain your excitement as we head towards the mansion. Our master is expecting you." Said the driver.

"Expecting me? I thought he was supposed to be getting that gaki from Seigaku." Replied Sanada.

"The kid is already at his mansion since he has been spending the night there after the club." Continued the driver.

"Since when? I thought I told him that Ryoma should have been dropped at my place." Grunted Sanada.

"Unfortunately, Atobe isn't quite finished with the young lad yet." Finished the driver.

After a half hour of driving, the drive pulled up to the mansion where they spotted the diva outside waving at Genichiro. Unfortunately for the emperor of tennis, he wasn't too thrilled as he got out of the car.

"Atobe, what is the meaning of this? I thought I told you to let me have Ryoma for the night! We had a deal." Protested Sanada.

"Now, now, Fukubuchou! Is that any way to greet Ore-sama? I wonder what has you woken up on the wrong side of the bed lately." Said Atobe with a smirk.

"I am not in a mood for your games, Keigo! Tell me where Ryoma is, right now." Demanded Sanada.

"Has anyone ever told you that you don't make demands around here? You still lack social skills because ore-sama can hear you talking to a wall." Smiled Atobe.

There was no response from Sanada as he scowled and grunted. Atobe sighed and said to him, "Fine then, allow me to speak for you."

"Please don't do that."

"Why? Hearing you talk is boring as hell."

"I always get straight to the point so that I don't bore anyone."

"Please!"

"I have nothing to say on that."

They continued the talk inside the mansion until they reached the family room where Ryoma was busy playing with Karupin since his gym clothes were being washed at the moment. Sanada was not surprised to see the brat wearing cargo shorts and a casual t-shirt that said "Tennis rules" on it because he can tell that the brat had been tired from tennis practice and decided to take a seat next to the kid.

"I told you, this was the sort of environment that you needed to be familiar with." Said Atobe.

Sanada turned to look at Atobe and said, "You make me think I am some sort of a dog."

"As far as I am concerned, you are a dog. Please allow me to make a dignified being out of you." Bowed Atobe as he quickly took Sanada's jacket and hung it on the rack before taking his shoes and putting it near the front door.

"Our dignity is different, if you must know." Muttered Sanada. He grumbled the entire way as he looked around the mansion while Atobe watched with half interest as he leads Sanada on a tour of his place.

"F.Y.I. Ore-sama welcomes you to his humble mansion because you are now at the complete mercy of the gracious Atobe Keigo. Besides, I couldn't let my precious Ryoma escape since he is full of surprises. He even helped organize the books in my parents' study area since I barely even have time to clean up. I have to say, I am quite surprised at how generally neat he is." Continued Atobe.

"I see, so that brat is your personal butler now? I swear, sometimes you are so impossible!" sighed Sanada.

"That's why my business with his is strictly romance related." Smirked Ateobe.

"Why do I even bother to argue with him? Curse this wretched honor. If only I had admitted defeat during that tennis match, I would have let Ryoma gave him a kiss right then and now. But now, it should be my turn to kiss Ryoma. Why should I let him have the brat all to himself? Does he think I am some sort of… NO! Don't think like that. Clear your mind."

He was interrupted when he felt something soft land on his legs. Atobe walked by and sees his dog looking at the Rikkai fukubuchou happily wagging his tail and smiled.

"I see that my dog has taken a liking to you. He is really interested in just about anyone that walks in to my mansion."

"He's just too cute unlike my nephew. Unfortunately, my nephew is too spoiled and a pain in the neck whenever he is around me. God, I find that kid so annoying whenever he hassles me during study hours. Sometimes I wish I just had a dog to keep me company." Groaned Sanada as he scratched the dog behind his ear while watching him wagging his tail.

"Some kids are born to be like that. You just need to have more patience for your little brother." Said Atobe as he sat down on a couch reading Great Expectations while Ryoma was busy studying a tennis magazine in his hand as he settled on Sanada's lap. Atobe didn't spare them a glance while reading since he doesn't mind what was going on next to him. Just then Yuushi arrived in the living room and saw Sanada and Ryoma sitting together reading a book. He nearly floored at that moment as he paused to adjust his glasses before taking the book away from Atobe and dragging him out of the room.

"What is going on , yuushi?" asked Atobe.

"Care to tell me why you brought the rikkaidai fukubuchou here?" said yuushi in a dignified tone.

"Relax, fukubuchou. I only invited him here so he could keep an eye on my little prince over there." Continued Atobe.

"Dude, don't tell me you are letting that emperor walk all over you? Are you trying to get that gaki molested by that emperor?" said Yuushi.

"Who said I was trying to let Ryoma get molested? This is strictly a business deal." Finished Atobe.

Yuushi groaned at that remark and said nothing more as Atobe returned to the couch and picked up from where he left off. He then paused and turned his attention towards Sanada and said, "Speaking of business, I am here to make you a proposal."

Sanada turned around and said, "What sort of proposal?"

"If you can have your school perform a play, I am sure Ryoma would be more than interested in playing a female character so that you can kiss him on stage. Let's call it Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs since you make the perfect prince charming while the prince has to wear a lovely dress so that he can be kissed by you of course." Said Atobe.

At that moment, Ryoma went face-planting onto the ground. He couldn't believe at what just happened.

"Are you kidding me? There is no way I am wearing a dress. If you must know I don't like playing a female lead character!" Shouted Ryoma.

"I'm afraid that you can't back out now since my captain has made up his mind already. Furthermore, we need to shop for the costumes at a local department store. Also Sanada, please inform Yukimura about the play and have his subordinates organize it because I want to ensure that this performance will make the crowd go wild. Besides, Gakuto refuses to play Snow White since he doesn't want to be kissed. Also I have to play the fatherly role of a king in Snow White so therefore, I have to ensure that my coach gets a good laugh out of this, including the girls at Seigaku. Please do it for the people of Hyotei." Said Yuushi.

Ryoma and Sanada wouldn't dare to refuse now since they were offered a once in a lifetime opportunity. Both of them groaned and cursed and had no way to give up now.

"Unbelivable, looks like you and I are going to have to do our best in order to make this play successful. I promise you we will get them back one day." Said Sanada.

"Why do these things always happen to me?" groaned Ryoma.

"Everyone succumbs to the overwhelming presence that is ore-sama."

Ryoma didn't even bother looking at Atobe as he got off from the couch with Sanada following close behind him since he wasn't sure what to tell the guys back at Seigaku. Just then, his phone rang and sure enough, it was Kikumaru calling him. "Excuse me guys, I have to take this. I can only assume that those idiots are going to laugh at me when I tell them about what you guys said." And with that, Ryoma headed towards the hallway.

"Keigo, do you have a deranged mind or something?" asked Sanada

"I was born with brilliant ideas because it is natural. Shall we head to the department store?"

"I agree, but my cousin Kenya is probably going to have a cow when I tell him about the play. I am betting that Shiraishi is laughing his ass off right now as well." Replied Yuushi

Elsewhere at Shintenhouji and Rikkadai

"Looks like I got a text message from my cousin and it tells me that …." He paused and tried to hold in his laughter "Ryoma Echizen has been selected to play Snow White in the upcoming play and… Sanada is going to be Prince Charming!" He then stopped reading and laughed like a hyena while Shiraishi took the phone carefully from Kenya's hand and read it with interest before chuckling. He then called Yukimura and told him the news. Eventually, Yukimura smiled like crazy and decided to go through with the plan as he emailed Fuji Syusuke about the plan.

A few minutes later, Ryoma could only sigh in disbelief at Kikumaru's response as he placed his phone back into his pocket and returned to his brothers in arms.

"What did the acrobat say to you?" asked Sanada.

"Well other than laughing his ass off along with most of my other teammates, he wants photos of the play afterwards and use them as blackmail material. I can't believe this. Are every one of my brothers and cousins from all the schools this insane?" said Ryoma.

"Ore-sama already knows this and I hereby let you join the fan club. Let's get going!" said Atobe as he snapped his fingers. In an instant, his driver appeared and showed the guests towards the car.

After driving for about a half hour, Sanada and Ryoma arrived at the department store and headed towards the costumes section in order to find the parts that they need for the Snow White play since Fuji Syusuke was certain to take the part as the mirror while Yukimura is set to play the evil queen and Sanada as the handsome prince to kiss Snow White since Atobe isn't really paying attention to anything else other than the clothes in front of him.

He looked around and found a cape for the evil queen, a crown and a set of prince charming clothes for the big boys. He also found a dress that snow white would wear. As for Yuushi he was searching for a hunting clothes since he is the one that can stop the queen from trying to kill Snow White. "Geez, why can't Kenya play the role of the hunter? He is more of a professional actor than I am," thought Yuushi as he headed over towards Atobe.

Sanada and Ryoma didn't know what to think as they saw Atobe handing them their clothes and pointed the boys towards the dressing rooms. "Don't look at me like that. Ore-sama does not know what size clothes you guys wear in these sorts of costumes.

"These… clothes? What did you pick out?... HELL NO!"

"These are not even the right size! We are size 34 and 38 respectively!" added Ryoma.

"They will fit you, get inside the dressing rooms!" ordered Atobe as he handed them the costumes.

"I hate you so much right now, Keigo!" grunted Ryoma.

"Ore-sama will take it that these fit?" smiled Atobe

Both of the boys groaned in unison as they entered the dressing stall and emerged afterwards. Yuushi couldn't help but chuckle seeing them in their prince charming and the dress outfits.

"They look absolutely gorgeous on you guys. No wonder you are so popular with the ladies, ryo-kun," said Atobe.

"Tch! I look so gay in this outfit. But still why was I selected anyway?" asked Ryoma

"Because we feel that you are just too cute and even Tezuka recommended you since he feels that you acting out as a girl will make him feel better about himself." Replied Atobe as the gang changed back into their regular clothes before proceeding towards the checkout area. After Atobe arranged all the clothing, Sanada decided that now would be a good time to cooperate with the heir so that things can go smoothly.

"It's good to see that you guys are eager to move on to the next event." Grinned Atobe smugly. "What, you think this was the only thing on our schedule? There is more to see." He then went to pay for the clothes while Sanada and Ryoma took deep breathes to make sure their reputation didn't get ruined because they could strangle atobe at any time but their guts tells them not to do it.

"There, all done. Let's move on… Stop sulking you guys. You are talking about ruining ore-sama's image. Imagine what I would look like when my reputation is ruined?"

"Such heroic words." Said Sanada as he and Ryoma sent death glares towards Atobe who was unimpressed at their looks. He only just smirked at them since he was thriving off the emperor's anger and annoyance.

"That doesn't work on me because none of you guys are wearing the proper clothing to pull off that scowling look. See? You guys need my help a lot more." Continued Atobe.

"Can we just go?" growled Sanada

"Very well. Oh, I almost forgot. I just need to see my father for a quick minute, it won't take very long.

"Fine." Replied Sanada since he was happy to make a detour in order to keep Atobe's attention away from him. The gang continued through the shopping districts while passing through a quiet neighborhood where they could see large houses in traditional Japanese style where they held generations of people. After a short walking distance, they stopped in front of a gate where the gang were shocked to find a big house in the surrounding area.

"In case of emergencies, please stay quiet, be nice and respectful. Think of samurai thoughts." Said Atobe.

He then straightened out his shirt and quickly combed his hair while Sanada was wondering who this person was and why he was warned and lectured about manners since curiosity had gotten the better of him.

"Who is this?"

"one of my business associates."

He wondered what sort of a response Atobe would give since he was definitely not trying to say anything that would get them all into trouble. This was beginning to amuse Sanada since he could see a large man standing in front of them as he tried to stop himself from doing a double take. The man before him was wearing a black business suit though there was a scar running down friom the man's forehead and onto his lip.

"Atobe-sama, we have been expecting you. Who are these people next to you?"

"Just some friends of mine. The youngest one is just a brother. Everything is all good." Said Atobe.

"very well, this way please."

As Atobe followed the guards through the long hallway, they stopped at a door where they were told to wait. As the tennis champs were waiting, Sanada noticed that that whole house was becoming suspicious and he had remembered a theory about Atobe from school and it was starting to become clear. However, his thoughts were interrupted as the door slid open once again and everyone was escorted into the room. Soon, Sanada followed a short distance behind atobe and copied his actions that surprised him. They all bowed in a respectable manner, including an old man that also bowed.

"Young Atobe-sama it is really good to see you again.

"Likewise, Ore-sama is here on behalf of my father. I have what you need here."

As the two conversed, Sanada decided to assess the situation since Atobe wasn't behaving in this sort of manner and that the old man across the room had been showing him a lot of respect. This time, Atobe was more in charge here since he used his arrogant pronoun.

"Thank you sir, my father sends his regards."

"As do I. It's always a pleasure."

The three of the bowed again as they stood up while Atobe and Sanada exited the room. He then noticed that the captain was folding something in his pocket while they were escorted outside where they passed through another set of people of similar profession and waved at them. Soon, everyone was out of the mansion as Sanada started asking an important question.

"Are those guys the Yakuza?"

Atobe was shocked at that question.

"Yakuza? What makes you think ore-sama is involved with those guys?"

Sanada was still stoic as ever sicne he had the urge to hit Atobe.

"let's see. Oh right, everything. What about those guys in there that could kill someone? And what about the formalities? How are you able to carefully answer those questions?"

"That would be considered profiling, Genichi! You can't really judge a book by its cover. Besides, he is an old man and you know how paranoid they get. Not to mention he could fall and break a hip or something.

"I see. So what is in the envelope?"

"Just some sort of an investment from my father since he is a stockbroker after all. Besides, he wants me to try and take over the corporation one day."

"Are you guys investing in zaibatsu?" asked Sanada

"That's sort of old-fashioned. What makes you think that? This is not a great family controlled banking or the industry combined. Those things have been dissolved." Said Atobe as he maintained his innocence that tried to mock Ryoma as he crossed his arms while walking ahead carrying the bags in his hand.

"Looks like those two are getting along really well." Whispered Ryoma

"Those two just need to learn to be friendly with each other since they can't just isolate themselves away. Furthermore, if both of them continue to fight for your love, then it could get out of control." Replied Oshitari.

"I see, so they are both going to kiss me at some point in the play, right? This is going to get weirder and weirder." Groaned Ryoma.

"I think you watched too many shows or something. Besides, our family business is not some huge scale money-making operation. Although we did use them to bend Yakuza's will, this sort of stuff only happens on television so please keep that in mind." Said Atobe as he walked towards the city leaving an incredulous sanada behind. Afterwards, Sanada could only shake his head in disbelief at what he just heard since he was teased so much by the rich diva.

"Are you coming or do I have to drag you?"

Sanada just sighed and continued walking with his rival.

"Good, because I would have made a few calls to some friends of mine."

"You conniving, manipulative little-"

"How is ore-sama calculating or manipulative?"

"never mind, let's move on."

"You have found a new and interesting experience to add to your list now."

"You said it was—" began Sanada

"Ore-sama didn't say anything." He smirked.

"You really are evil, you know that Atobe?" said Sanada.

"Evil is in the eye of the beholder. Anyway. I am hungry. It's time for lunch."

"Do I even want to ask where we are eating?"

"That's up to you. You better pick someplace that I will enjoy with that prince. Besides, if this play is successful, he might just transfer to our school and be on our team."

"That's what you think. Anyway, Why are you letting me choose?" said Sanada

"Ore-sama wants to see the kind of places that the emperor of rikkai likes to eat as well.

"Just about anything that will get me in tip-top shape. I am pretty average on food these days."

Atobe just laughed while Ryoma snickered quietly to himself, only to be smacked upside the head by Sanada's hand.

"That wasn't a joke you know. And besides, don't make fun of what I eat." said Sanada with veins popping on his head.

"really now? You are an average eater? How cute, but where to?"

Sanada really wanted to hit atobe but this wasn't the time to do that as he started looking around for a place to eat. Soon, they could see a Chinese restaurant across the street.

"How about that place?"

"Lead the way."

As the gang crossed the street towards the Chinese restaurant, they wondered what having lunch with the leader of Hyotei would be like. He would wonder how this day would really turn out.

Even Ryoma would wonder which one of those champions would end up kissing him during the play since he would feel rather embarrassed if this hand gone public. He didn't want to think about that part now since today was the day that everyone will focus on lunch because in a couple of weeks, the big event will be held at Hyoutei Junior High school and everyone is looking forward to the play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: There wasn't much here but this is the best I can do. I had to add in the Snow White play as a warm up since not a lot was happening here.
> 
> The reason why I mentioned Zaibatsu is because I feel that Atobe is a rich kid since he comes from a wealthy famiky. Besides, this chapter had to deal with money-making things and the industry business. Besides Atobe pretty much owns Japan because Tokyo is a launch pad for his blimp and helicopters, especially his home. Besides, even if a father is a stockbroker, many of those things would be unaffordable. Anyway I was having fun with this chapter since Sanada doesn't know much about wealth yet.
> 
> Evil suits atobe pretty well since he has that character inside of him. As for his teammates, they could either be stunned or just laugh at him for picking out those clothes for the boys since he loves to play the Devil's Advocate. So it makes sense for him to torment Sanada and Ryoma for a little bit. As for Yuushi, he has no idea what is really going on but when Kenya hears about this, he is definitely going to let Kintaro try out the role as snow white. Anyway I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I hope to see you all next time. Sorry for the long delay since I have been spending the last four weeks working at a supermarket and I barely had time to update my fanfiction stories. I hope to continue this each week so stay tuned, you will not be disappointed.


	35. School Play and Blackmail Photos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Ryoma gets word that the hyotei captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up as a secret is kept between them and Ryoma’s friends. Are they dating each other or is this all a ploy to bring two rivals as one together?
> 
> Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis isn’t mine and I will never own it

It's been a couple of weeks since Atobe took Genichirou out for a tour around Japan and Ryoma feels that he is at a crossroads between the two senior sempais from Rikkaidai and Hyotei. At this rate, we can safely assume that the kid has started to fall in love with both boys because he has a hard decision to make now. Once the seigaku rookie returns to school, he could see that everyone was outside practicing as usual while Momo and Eiji were working on their warm-up match.

"Good morning guys. I hope things have been going well with you guys. After a long day with my so called boyfriends, I am still not sure what my decisions are right now." Said Ryoma.

Everyone oohed at their beloved chibi while Eiji and momo snickered like crazy.

"What is so funny?" asked Ryoma as he frowned at his sempairs.

"you still haven't made a decision as to whom you are going to be dating? Well, you will once the school play begins in a week from now."

"I was never told of this. What sort of school play are you talking about?"

"Why Little Red Riding Hood of course! Fuji has just gotten the okay from the captains of Rikkaidai and Hyotei since they both want you to play the role of Riding Hood." Said Momo.

Ryoma was shocked at hearing this and twitched. "Hell no! I am not playing the role of a girl. Please find someone else to do that role since I suck at that. Let Sakuno take that role and I will do the prince."

"Sorry, but coach Ryuzaki insisted that you do this because she feels that you are the only one that woos all the boys from other school. Besides, Yukimura wouldn't want you to back down now since he asked Fuji to let you take the role because Akaya-sempai turned it down as well, nya!" said Eiji.

"Chotto Matte! I wasn't informed of this!" shouted Ryoma. He then turned his attention towards Fuji and glared daggers at him.

"Ne, Fuji-sempai, you are up to something, aren't you?" asked Ryoma. He knew that his friends was not of any help, but it was worth an effort to ask.

"No, why would I?" answered Fuji Innocently. But Ryoma knows that fuji wasn't going to get himself out of this as he sweated profusely.

"you are lying, Fuji-sempai. I just know it. Besides, everyone here knows you are a sadist who blackmails people to get what you want, am I right?" continued Ryoma.

"Saa, I have no idea what you are talking about. But if you don't cooperate with me, I am afraid I have to be the one to take blackmail pictures of you in a dress and show it to all of the schools and believe me, they will get a good laugh out of this, especially your boyfriends." Smiled Fuji evilly.

"You are so evil, Fuji-sempai! What the hell did I ever do to you!?" protested Ryoma.

But Fuji didn't answer as he went back to the courts for his warm-up match with that sadistic smile on his face, leaving a scowling Ryoma behind.

Everyone else looked at Ryoma and just shrugged it off without caring as they also returned to their courts. Furthermore, the rookie wasn't sure who else to turn to since none of his teammates are able to help him out of this one. He then decided to have a talk with the coach inside her office.

Back at Hyoutei, Atobe was in his office signing a couple of papers when he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in." called Atobe.

As the door opened, the music coach arrived and showed him the paper for the upcoming school play. "I really hope you know what you're doing with that Seigaku brat because from what Sumiere told me, she is actually approving Ryoma of playing the Little Red Riding Hood. Is there something that you are not telling me?"

Keigo looked at his coach while resting his hands on his chin and said, "As the music director, you have to conduct the band while the music is performing and they need you out there. Besides, if Yukimura said it was okay for Ryoma to play Red Riding Hood, he was indeed taken by surprise from his friends. I don't see anything wrong with it."

Sakaki was unfazed by this because if he tried to compromise with Ryuzaki, she wouldn't change her mind. "are you kidding me? This is going cause a lot of headaches within Hyotei, what will your friends say about this?" asked Sakaki.

"I am sure they won't mind. Besides, this was my surprise for that brat anyway since we had some alone time together. Furthermore, I told Fuji about it and he consulted with Yukimura. In turn, they were all on board with me on this one because we feel that the kid has a good shot at marrying all of us handsome guys. To be honest, my plan is working out perfectly." Said Atobe.

"Are you sure about this? What if Ryoma doesn't want the part? Do you know what sort of trouble I could get into?" continued Sakaki.

"Tell them that they need to make a decision on letting the boy stick to his role and if not, those blackmail photos will be the death of him. Don't worry, we will all take good care of him." Finished Atobe.

Sakaki could only grunt in fear and shrugged before leaving Atobe's office. He then said, "You people are crazy!"

Atobe could only smile at him and replied, "We get paid the big bucks to make this play a success."

Back at the hoytei tennis grounds, rumors were flying around like crazy regarding the Little Red Riding Hood play as Oshitari looked at the flyer he held in his hand. He then walked over to his doubles partner who was laughing with Hiyoshi about the Seigaku brat playing a girl.

"Wow, I never realized that our captain picked a little pipsqueak to play the role of Cinderella last time. This is the first that we have seen him get picked for the red Riding hood character." said Mukahi.

"Yeah, I know right? Our lucky captain really knows how to pick them. He just never ceases to amaze me. Furthermore, now he is asking the boy to play the role of Red Riding Hood this time around. I don't know how he does it but I think that kid is a perfect candidate for our school." Agreed Hiyoshi

"You're kidding me, how did that kid get picked for the part of Red Riding hood? That should have been you, Mukahi! You have red hair don't you I mean you can do the riding hood character perfectly." Stated Shishido

"Shut up, shishido-sempai! Besides, I am a guy! A guy like me isn't gay to do Red Riding hood." Protested Mukahi as his face turned a beet red while the others snickered like crazy. Even Yuushi couldn't help but laugh at the current situation at hand. Just then, the gang could see Atobe walking towards them with invitations in his hand.

"Atobe, what is all this for?" asked Mukahi

"Take these to Rikkaidai and distribute them, tell them that they are invited to our school to see our precious prince play Little Red riding Hood. If this goes well, perhaps he will eventually join Hyotei. Furthermore, I am having Genichirou playing the prince charming and I the Hunter while Akaya does the big bad wolf." Said Atobe as he laughed and left the gang in a state of confusion.

"Is he really doing what I think he is doing?" stated Jirou.

"Yup, he is off to his own little dream world." Agreed Shishido.

"I don't believe this. Ryoma already admitted that he is not in love and yet atobe wants him to play that Red riding hood character in order to show him what true love really means? And Sakaki approved of this as well? I am betting it's that bastard sadist Fuji up to his old tricks again. Only he and Yukimura could come up with something so insane like this. They are practically collaborating with each other. No wonder that gaki spent so much time with them." Grunted Hiyoshi

"you have to admit, our sempais didn't give that brat much choice. I mean we are all like brothers that he never had. So it is only fair that any of us could be possible lovers for him, but Atobe had to go for the obvious choices in Rikkaidai and Seigaku. He doesn't even spend that much time with tezuka now because he spends it all with that popular gaki. We should also try and do the same thing since he does get along well with all of us, isn't that right Choutaro?" smiled Shishido as he gently elbowed his doubles partner on his shoulder.

"Huh? Oh yes of couse, I am sure that ocbibi will have a great time with all of us." Chuckled Choutaro. He wasn't even sure why Atobe had to get the entire team involved in his little surprise scheme after texting his boyfriend the event on his phone.

After practice was over, Fuji headed inside the locker room and sees Ryoma packing his things. He then walked up to him and said, "Ryo-kun, I have a proposition for you. Please come to my house because I have a surprise waiting for you."

Ryoma suddenly turned around to see the sadistic sempai smirking evilly at him. "What sort of surprise?" he said nervously.

"You will see. And besides, I am sure Yuuta wouldn't mind you there since he is dying to see you. Furthermore, my sister isn't home so we have the whole place to ourselves." Continued Fuji.

Ryoma gave it a thought for a moment and said, 'Sure, but are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Trust him, Ochibi! Besides, if you don't take the character role, you will be buying food for me and kikumaru for the entire week." Retorted Momo.

"What!? Since when did I agree to buy you guys food?" protested Ryoma.

"Ah, Ah! We urged Oishi to hand out the punishment to you if you do not listen to Fuji sempai. Therefore, you will go to his house and relax until the play comes to its conclusion. See you guys there!" laughed Kikumaru as they dashed out from the locker room. A few minutes later,, Ryoma and Fuji were out of the Seigaku school grounds with the gang following close behind.

"Don't you guys have stuff to do other than following me?" grunted Ryoma.

"Fuji-sempai invited all of us to his house because I have the camera with me. I can easily record you wearing that costume since you look so cute in it.

"You guys are not even supposed to be here! I can't believe Fuji-sempai agreed with this." Pouted Ryoma.

"Oi, Echizen, If Fuji said it was okay, we should be here because we want to see how cute you are in a dress. Don't screw this up! Unless you want us to send the blackmail photos to your lovers?" grinned Momo evilly.

"Don't you dare! I am so not wearing that dress!" shouted Ryoma.  
"Echizen, just do it, or else we will have Tomoka and Sakuno come over as well." Warned Kaido.

"Please go ahead and invite them, I guess I won't mind being the laughingstock of Seigaku and Hyotei." Huffed Ryoma.

"Ne Echizen, you got guts, I wonder how my brother will feel if you don't show up?" The smiling tensai'smirk twisted a bit. "Please come to my house."

Ryoma immediately gulped. Fuji's expression did not change as he continued smiling. But his voice was starting to send chills down the boy's back since he is just like Shiraishi and Yukimura. Ryoma looked at him for a moment and sighed. "Fine, let's just get this over with."

"Then it is settled, we are all going to Fuji's house tonight!" shouted Momo

Since Fuji had volunteered to use his house to set ryoma up for the costume, his parents and older sister were gone for the night, leaving Yuuta there. Once the invitations and directions to fuji's house were passed out, they are to meet him at around 6:30pm sharp.

A little after 5:30 pm at Fuji's residence…

"YOU WHAT!?" screamed Yuuta

"Calm down Yuuta, I only invited them here because they just don't have anything else to do."

"Why did you even volunteer your house for the costume party set up!?" scowled Yuuta. Baka Aniki! Why would his stupid brother do something like this.

"It's just a preparation for a school play, Yuuta. Now hurry up and help me with this red riding hood costume." Said Fuji.

"Wait, you are not making me wear that girl costume, are you?" said Yuuta.

"Nope, I am making Ryoma wear it because he is the star that will take the role of Red Riding hood and I assume you and I will be assisting Ryoma on putting it on for him." Smiled Fuji darkly.

"Why me? Why can't you do it?" continued Yuuta.

"Because I have to tend to the guests. Furthermore, keep Ryoma occupied in your room. Pretend you guys are making out with each other." Smiled Fuji.

"HELL NO!" Yelled Yuuta.

"Come on now, it will be fun. Just watching you guys in bed together will be perfect for my blackmail pictures." Chucked Fuji.

Yuuta couldn't contain his anger any longer as he started chasing his brother around the living room. "Fuji Syusuuke, you're DEAD!"

As the scene continued to unfold in the living room, both brothers heard the doorbell rang and Fuji immediately opened the door to see Ryoma and decided to invite him in before closing the door. Once inside, Yuuta sees his rival and immediately shook his hand

"Hello there Fuji's little brother." Said Ryoma.

Yuuta groaned in disbelief. How could a little runt like him not remember the younger sibling's name that goes to St. Rudolph after the match they had previously in the Kanto tournament? After all, Fuji Syusuke was the one that introduced his brother to his kouhai not too long ago so why is Ryoma forgetting his tensai's brother?

"I am NOT Fuji's little brother, I have a name and you should remember it: Yuuta!" he growled.

Ryoma was looking nonplussed at that response and shrugged. "I guess he still remembers me." He then took off his shoes and settled down in the living room to relax for a bit while reaching into his bag for the tennis magazine and the Nintendo that he brought along with him. Yuuta then took a seat next to his friend and watched with interest.

"So, it's been a while since I last saw you, gaki. What have you been up to?" said yuuta.

"Oh, just been hanging around with that narcissist Atobe and the emperor of tennis Sanada. Believe me, those guys are tough as nails and if you try to crack them like a walnut, one of them will snap and use strict tactics against you. So, it's best not to cross them. Anyway, what do you say you and I spend some time together alone?" said Ryoma as he took Yuuta's hand and headed upstairs.

"Shut up!" shouted Yuuta. He was blushing hard at Ryoma's response. Syusuke immediately took the costume and handed it to his little brother before ushering them upstairs towards the bedroom. Once inside, Yuuta finally had enough of his brother teasing him and slammed the door. He then pushed Ryoma onto his bed, took the costume from his hand and settled it down on the floor.

"Fuji-sempai is really evil towards me, isn't he? Now he has to force me to wear this shitty costume in order to pose to my boyfriends. Not that I don't care but he is planning to blackmail me with those pictures later on." Said Ryoma.

Yuuta noticed it as well. "Ne, Ryoma, why exactly are you doing Red Riding Hood?"

"I have no idea, but something tells me that I am about to be molested." Said Ryoma as he heard the sound of the doorknob twisting and in came Fuji Syuusuke.

"Since you didn't have a costume, I guess I will have to call in for some backup. Eiji, Momo, come help me restrain echizen before he runs out the door." Called Fuji.

"We are on it." They said as they rushed upstairs and tackled Ryoma to the ground.

"What is the meaning of this? Let me go, sempais!" shouted Ryoma as he struggled to get himself off the floor. But no matter how hard he tried to move, Eiji and Momo held the boy down tightly like an overprotective alligator, thereby preventing him from dashing outside.

"Nya! You are going to wear that costume whether you like it or not! This play is really important to him!" Eiji said rather happily.

"I don't care! I am not wearing that skirt!"

"If I wear you, I'd put it on. But take the pants off first. You wouldn't want the pictures of you and Sakuno chan kissing together all over the place, would you?" asked Fuji.

"You are psychotic! Like hell I will strip in front of you!" shouted Ryoma. Damn, ryoma had forgotten about the blackmail pictures and scowled. So this is what the sadist had planned all along.

"Um, Fuji, I don't think you should molest him like that…." Stated Oishi

"Saa, it's no problem at all. He is just too shy. The red riding hood dress isn't going to kill O'Chibi. We're just dressing him up!"

"But-"

"Pleassseee! Do it for us and for your young love over there." Begged Eiji as he gestured his finger towards Yuuta, whom was vein popping like crazy as he hurled pillows at the red-haired acrobat while Oishi sighed at the scene in front of him.

"Fine, but just don't go too far." Grunted Ryoma.

Momo and Eiji took off Ryoma's shorts, leaving him with just boxers on. Once that was done, Fuji immediately slipped the dress onto Ryoma's t-shirt while Yuuta grabbed his sister's make-up kid and the accessories. "let the dress-up begin," he murmured evilly.

By the time Inui, Taka, and the other Seigaku regulars arrived, Yuuta dashed downstairs and opened the door to get them settled down on the couch before going back to the dilemma at hand.

"Ah, so Ryoma is dressed up as Red Riding Hood I-data" said Inui. He quickly took out his notebook and scribbled some notes while Taka headed over to the kitchen to see if there were any foods that needed preparing. Furthermore, Kaido refused to be a part of this fiasco and simply sat himself down on the couch resting.

"Where are the others?" asked Taka.

Oi! Taka! We will be right down, Just hold on for a bit longer!" called Momo.

"Get that red dress away from me!" screeched Ryoma. Eiji still had a hold onto the kid and not letting him go. Since Ryoma was putting up quite a fight, Momo had to come and help Eiji hold Ryoma down while Oishi sat down on the couch downstairs. He didn't know if he should help set Echizen free or just mind his own business?

Fuji had somehow managed to put the little girl's dress on Ryoma since it was red with pink frilly laces on the bottom and a bow on the back. It was RED!, Ryoma hated red and swore never to wear that sort of color in public. Not to mentmion the skirt had stuck to around the middle section of his knees. He also refused to look down to see the pulled sockson his feet with the disgusting laces on it. He was also give a girl's shoes that were buckled with yellow flowers. At that instant, Ryoma was really starting to look like Little Red Riding hood.

Fuji was trying to apply lip gloss on Ryoma. "Hold him still, Yuuta." And Fuji tried again. "Tighter Eiji! This is delicate work."

"Nya! I am trying." Ryoma scowled and twisted his head away from the lip gloss while Yuuta couldn't contain his laughter any longer. He didn't know what just transpired here, but Fuji had somehow spread the lipstick onto the Raven haired boy's cheek. That disgusting slime of lip gloss was on his lips.

Now wasting another moment, Fuji reached into the closet and grabbed a red Hoodie and attached it to the costume before taking out the mascara. "You are going to have to stay very still for this part, echizen." Warned fuji.

"Don't you DARE put that on me! That'll blind me!"

"If you continue to wriggle around, it will be difficult for me to put it on you. Besides, I would be dne with you right now." Said fuji.

Ryoma cursed profusely at Fuji and his friends, but he was powerless to do anything about it now. "And he calls himself the mother of Seigaku" thought Ryoma rudely.

"There! All done." Said Fuji. Eiji and Momo eventually let go and as he turned around, they rolled onto the ground laughing at his new look and immediately took photos. Ryoma on the other hand, hated himself and wanted to die so that he would be out of this pain and suffering.

"Don't even try to take the dress off or washing out that lipstick, Echizen. I still have those blackmail pictures and I can use the current photos of you in that look to show it to Shiraishi and Yukimura. Don't forget your boyfriends at Hyotei and Rikkaidai can see it too." Said Fuji evilly.

"Damn you!" roared Echizen.

"What the hell is taking them so long? Wondered Taka. Just as he was about to leave, the other regulars came out of the room.

"We're done. Look who is here!" Momo and Eiji pushed Ryoma forward while Yuuta snickered like crazy.

The other regulars were shocked at Ryoma's new look. Even taka was gaping while Inui dropped his pencil. Furthermore, Kaido was also shocked and covered his mouth so he wouldn't laugh. Sumiere on the other hand was laughing like a hyena and pretended not to notice, but seriously Ryoma is dressed up as the next Red Riding hood… This was going to go public.

"What the hell are you all looking at?" snapped ryoma.

"Be nice Ryoma! Nya." Said Eiji.

Click! Flash!

Ryoma groaned once again as Fuji continued to take ryoma's picture before ssending it off to Hyotei, Rikkaidai, Yamabuki, Rokkaku, and Shitenhouji. "oh, you darling little girl! This look really is you!" blushed Inui.

Ryoma's veins popped like crazy as his anger boiled. Okay, this has gone too far. First, Atobe had sent Fujithe photo of the dress and now Fuji did the same thing: dressing ochibi up and TAKING HIS PICTURE!?

"Gimme those photos, Sadist-sempai!" shouted Ryoma as he chased after Fuji.

Everyone else sweat-dropped. This play was going to be madness and they know it.

The next day, an assembly was held at Seigaku as the principal said to them, "Ahem!" the crowd grew silent. "That's more like it. Now then, I am here to tell you about the upcoming school play at Hyotei. This is the year that we all shall witness the school play that will magically come to life. We call it Little Red Riding Hood. This is where everyone must choose a dance partner to the music. Everyone is invited and I would love to see several couples together. I know you are all wondering why the youngest member of Seigaku is wearing a dress, well, I sifted through the photos and franklym I was very impressed with Fuji's creative thinking. I almost had a heart attack seeing Ryoma's new look.I feel that he will be a perfect present for the kings of Hyotei and Rikkaidai as a reward. That's all for now. Dismissed."

All of the students were surprised at what the principal had said. Seigaku was know for its superb tennis skills, but a school play? They were just speechless.

As for Fuji, he seemed to have other plans going on inside his head as he texted the photos to other schools hoping they will be satisfied with Ryoma's new look.

Back at Hyotei, Atobe was sifting through several forms when he heard a noise on his phone. He immediately opened it and looked through the photos of echizen's new style. He smirked and laughed like crazy as he dashed outside towards the tennis courts.

"Everyone! Look at what Fuji just sent us! Isn't my boyfriend so cute?" shouted Atobe as he passed the phone around to the regulars. As yuushi and the others looked, Mukahi and Choutarou snickered and started laughing. Shishido looked like he was about to faint while Jirou blushed like crazy. As for yuushi, he tried to wipe the sweat off his face and smiled. "Kenya is going to love this." He thought to himself as he copied the photo onto his phone.

"Damn! That gaki looks so cute in that dress. I think all the girls here should kiss him." Said Shishido.

"I agree, he is just too cute.. No wonder we made the right choice in picking him for this play." Added hiyoshi.

"Well guys, I think we just got ourselves a perfect match. I do believe Rikkaidai should see this as well and believe me, they will definitely get a good laugh out of this." Smiled Atobe. Suddenly, the pictures of beautiful flowers appeared in his mind as he continued to think about the marriage.

"He is off in his own little world." Groaned Taki.

"I am sure he just can't get enough of the brat. Looks like love is in the air for him." Said Yuushi.

Elsewhere in Germany, Tezuka looked at Ryoma's photo and smiled. He knew that the little brother wouldn't fail him and wondered. "The pillar of Seigaku has soared to new heights. This is definitely my number one picture." Thought tezuka. However, he texted Fuji telling him to burn those photos after the play is over since everyone is going to take notice of it. He said that if anyone else sees it, then they will be running laps until graduation comes.

Once everyone at Seigaku got the message from Tezuka, Fuji was satisfied, but now, he has to break the news to Yukimura and Sakuno since they cannot refuse their beloved cousin and kouhai since he did what they wanted him to do. This was a dirty trick from the sadistic sempai, but he had no other choice. This is fitting perfectly into his plan…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's notes. Well, I hope you liked Fuji's sadistic side. But Tezuka can be really cold at times because I barely know what his personality is really like. He is just cold and always keeps to himself. Sorry about him smiling earlier, but he knows what he has to do to keep his teammates in line. Read and review, please!


	36. The Start of the School Play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Ryoma gets word that the hyotei captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up as a secret is kept between them and Ryoma's friends. Are they dating each other or is this all a ploy to bring two rivals as one together?
> 
> Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis isn't mine and I will never own it

The day of the school play has arrived and everyone was excited, including the regulars from Rikkaidai, Shitenhouji, Hyotei, Fudomine and other schools since they are eager to see the Little Red Riding Hood, Furthermore, even Mizuki, the dataman wanted copies of those blackmail photos in order to protect his sanity because people at St. Rudolph heard that he has a girlfriend and that this secret has been kept too long. But now, this is the real test to see if Ryoma is prepared to face the crowd in his ridiculous costume.

Once Fuji and the others have arrived on the stage, preparations were still being made as the regulars were getting ready to don their costumes since this play is meant to dazzle people and make the girls fall for them. However, thanks to the hard work of the sadists, everyone seems to have improved their lines since they are going to give it their all out there.

Meanwhile, back in the audience, Atobe and Sanada were sitting opposite of each other with Kirihara in the middle so that they can give him a good view of their boyfriend. Unfortunately for the seaweed teenager, he was starting to get the feeling that he was in the same position as Ryoma with the dress and everything else. It took Sanada and the entire team minutes to try and convince Akaya to cooperate and things were going so well with the Cinderella play at that time until the dress was ripped and mending was to be done before the play could continue.

This time, the joke is on Ryoma since he is not prepared to face the crowd today since he will be living through a barrage of nightmares. Unfotunately, he has no other choice. As the raven haired teen came out, Fuji and Eiji ambushed him while Momo held the boy down in order to get the costume on for him.

"Ryoma, stay still!" said Fuji as he struggled with the younger boy

"Let go of me, Sadist! I do not want to do this!" shouted Ryoma as he pushed his tensais away and dashed towards the door, but he was immediately dragged away by Kawamura and sent into the changing room.

"Ryoma, please cooperate! You could have been done a long while if you just put that hood on. You want to impress all the girls and boys don't you?" said Fuji while pausing. "Don't forget the skirt, shoes, and the ribbons."

"You wish! I am never putting them on!" snapped Ryoma.

"And that's why me and Yuuta will put them on for you." Replied Fuji with a smile.

Ryoma was scowling like crazy as he was led into the boys' changing room since the tensai was the one that dragged him here because he was not going to be wearing a skirt for this play.

"Nya, O'chibi, want me to help you with the ribbons?" teased Eiji as he grabbed a few of the pink ribbons in his hands.

Ryoma was horrified to say anything since pink was not his color and it was not the color that Akaya was considering either. Without any signs of a waning, Fuji somehow managed to slip the hood onto Ryoma's head as he gasped for air since the hoodie was strangling him. Yuuta went ahead and pulled o the PINK skirt with pink laces onto Ryoma and zipped it up. Furthermore, Momo and Eiji had to put on the shoes and the socks onto Ryoma's feet.

The image was a bit unpleasant for Ryoma because he does look like a ten year old girl now because everyone finds him to be cute and adorable since he is well prepared for the play. But he was not prepared to face Sanada and Atobe because the expression hi his face looked like murderous rage because his eyes were ready to kill someone.

"Awww, Ochibi is really cute!" Eiji immediately glomped the small she-mail while Fuji fastened the ribbons with such speed onto Ryoma's hair.

"All right, I want you go out there and say hi to all the tennis teams from the audience." Said Fuji.

"Are you KIDDING ME!?" Ryoma gaped. But he was shoved out of the dressing room and onto the front stage.

"How much longer are they going to take?" asked Oishi. He was getting worried that Fuji was going to use his sadistic plans to make Ryoma look like a woman.

Unfortunately for him, his wish came true. Once the door opened, Fuji's voice boomed into the crowd, "Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present this year's new character; Little Red Riding Hood!" Eiji was laughing while momo held his stomach to prevent himself from getting an ulcer. Ryoma just stood there blushing furiously as he waved at the crowd while being shocked at what his tensaid did to him.

Soon the entire auditorium erupted into thunderous laughter as Atobe and Sanada immediately took photos of Ryoma's costume and decided to save it for their regulars later on. Even Shiraishi couldn't contain his laughter as he had a photo taken as well of the cute Ryoma kid in that costume. Somewhere in the audience, Mizuki Hajime sought out an opportunity to kiss his true lover as he rushed towards the stage in his school outfit and grabbed Ryoma's hand before placing his lips on the boy's cheeks and kissed him in an instant. He then walked back down towards the seats and pretended that nothing happened.

All of the Seigaku Regulars were floored at what just happened, especially the audience since many of them don't know what to say anymore. As for Kenya, he immediately pointed at the dataman from St. Rudolph and said, "That stalker is gay!" This caused Mizuki's face to flush like crazy. But as their attention turned towards Ryoma, they noticed that he looked like a little girl who was ready to go out trick or treating and was dressed as the Red Riding Hood! Even Yukimura was shocked at what Fuji had done to the freshman of Seigaku.

Ryoma scowled to the crowd, "What the hell are you all laughing at?" he snapped.

"Maa Maa, Is that how little girls should talk, Echizen?" teased Fuji. "If I remember correctly, the real little red riding hood wasn't that impolite."

"For the LAST time: I. am. not. Playing. The. Stupid. Character. in. your. Fucking, play!" said Ryoma.

"OH MY GOD!" a scream came from the audience. "How did you become so adorable? Fuji-sempai you mad genius, did you do this for him?! Shouted a glasses wearing student from Shitenhouji as he came up to the stage with Osamu closing in behind him rambling on and on. Everyone else sweat-dropped at the scene, even Ryoma had to continue seething in anger as he thought in despair, "Please just shoot me already! I don't care how much longer I can suffer throughout this place. My life is already a living hell!"

"Did you really have to do this to him, Fuji?" asked Oishi

"Relax, nothing will happen." Said Fuji. "And besides, everyone will have a part in this play."

"Nya, Fuji, what do you mean by that?" asked Eiji as he bounced around

"I had the entire tennis team participating in this play." Continued Fuji.

"NANI!?" shouted everyone.

"Fuji-sempai, we never agreed to your terms…" protested Momo.

"Oh yes you did."

"Since when?"

"I asked you all about whether or not you wanted to be a part of Little Red Riding Hood and everyone agreed, remember?"

Everyone groaned and they eventually gave in. Unfortunately,, they can see Sanada and Atobe waving at them and grinning like mad since they want to see this play go through. However, they'd know that Fuji was trying to embarrass Ryoma even further by making him wear that ridiculous costume. Furthemore, none of the Seigaku tennis team agreed on Fuji's method since he just brought up the idea and dragged everyone into this, including the boyfriends of Ryoma from Rikkaidai and Hyotei. None of them complained except for Ryoma and Akaya.

"There we go, All finished." Said Fuji as he shuffled the written lot since each of them had the character names printed on them for the lucky drawers. There are a total of nine parts in the play, including Little Red Riding Hood

"On the count of three, I want you all to pull the lots" said Fuji after he shuffled them." Everyone took a hold of one and were shocked at their roles.

"WHAT!?" screamed Momo

"You can't be serious." Said Kikumaru.

"Hmm… Data" said Inui

Tezuka couldn't say anything while the rest didn't complain as much.

"Mada Mada Dane." Said Ryoma. He obviously didn't say that much because his part was already decided by the smiling sadist at the behest of Shiraishi and Yukimura.

"So what did you guys get?" grinned Fuji.

"I play the role of the tree." Said Taka

Ryoma was looking at Taka with pleading eyes and begged him to give the tree to the fresman because all he needs to do is just stand there and do nothing. Unfortunately for Ryoma, Taka didn't see his eyes and ignored it.

As for Oishi, he got the role of playing the grandmother as he wore the gray haired wig on his head because they called him the Mother of Seigaku. Everyone laughed at him, while Eiji poked his doubles partner's shoulder. "One of these days we are going to be your sons."

"Eiji, that was not very nice."

"It's too funny, nya!"

"Oh yeah, what part did you get anyway?"

"Me? Oh I got the puppy!"

"how can a puppy be in this play?" asked a confused Tezuka.

"Saa! Have you forgotten that the hunter has to kill a wolf that eats Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother? His little dog is there to protect them." Continued Fuji.

Ryoma was rolling his eyes and groaned. He can't beven believe that Eiji has to play the role of a puppy because that was easy to do. All Eiji had to do was just bark and run around on all of the floors and pretend that his senses are sharp.

"What about you Momo? What did you get?" asked Fuji

"I am the hunter and I will be your owner for the play." Replied Momo.

"I am still your upperclass freshman, you know that Momo?" said Eiji

Ryoma smirked at the thought of eiji-sempai as the dog and Momo being the owner of that dog.

"Now then tezuka, what is your role?" asked a mischievous Fuji.

"I got the well." Tezuka said through his gritted teeth. What the hell did Fuji really think when he wrote all this down? This was so not funny. Why did Tezuka even volunteer for the well in this play? No one knew why. Even Atobe wasn't sure what to think of Fuji now after what he did to his rival.

Fuji was still grinning like mad since he didn't plan on writing out the well as part of the cast because he wanted the whole team performing in this play. He also had to think about the other parts besides the main ones. Thanks to some creative thinking, the hunter and the dog also came in later because this could give the play some creativity. Ryoma was smiling even more when he heard the captain of Seigaku got the well. Oh how he wished to toss a coin inside the well to see if a wish will actually come true.

Furthermore, Inui has the tree and the big bad wolf was Kaidoh since he has to wear the wolf suit.

"Now then we got all the parts, what is your part Fuji?" asked Eiji.

"I am the narrator of course." Grinned Eiji. "Okay, we will be rehearsing until the day of the play. So just meet up at Atobe's Mansion and his school at around 7."

Meanwhile, back at Atobe's residence

Everyone inside the house was laughing like crazy after Atobe passed the photos of Ryoma dressing up as little red riding hood. Some of them were impressed at Fuji's stroke of genius at the school yesterday. Even Mukahi was impressed at Eiji's costume as well.

"Damn! I never knew that they could put on quite a show for us!" laughed Jirou

"I guess Ryoma-kun wasn't afraid of being a girl after all. But seriously, where did all those fangirls came from anyway? I never knew that gaki was so popular." Added Shishido.

"He probably got those instincts from the captain, or perhaps he has been hanging around our Atobe for far too long. But whatever the reasons, this play will go on without a hitch." Said Yuushi as he adjusted his glasses.

Atobe was nodding with them as well and smiled. He knew that his boyfriend wouldn't let him down.

Echizen's residence… 6:25 PM

Ryoma was already in a foul mood because of his baka oyaji

"Oh my god! You are such a riot!" Laughed Nanjiroh! "Why didn't you tell us about your school play? We wouldn't be laughing at you right now!"

As if things hasn't gotten any worse…

Basically, Ryoma already went home to do his usual evening routine that consists of dinner before leaving for the school play while avoiding Fuji. It was just at that very moment that his oyaji HAD to come along and ask him where he was headed off to. Although Ryoma didn't give him a reply, he was planning to sneak out without any fuss. However, nanjiroh managed to grab Ryoma's backpack and took out the bag and revealed the costume inside.

"OOOH! Ryoma, I never knew you would look so cute in a girl's outfit!" s queaked Nanako

Ryoma vein popped and was so pissed off after he and his father bickered like crazy in the living room. As for Nanako, she seemed to be very interested in the costume and decided to let Ryoma put it on while putting the disgusting ribbons on his hair.

Soon, sounds of "Click! Flash!" could be heard from a camera and before anyone knew, Nanjiroh was taking photos of Ryoma in that costume.

"Have you guys finished embarrassing me already!?" shouted Ryoma as he tackled his father to the ground while trying to take the camera way. It's bad enough that Fuji had to go and ruin Ryoma's reputation of hosting a school play and now his entire family has to act weird around him? And why was Ryoma always surrounded by idiots?

"Hell no, gaki! These blackmail photos are perfect for your gay boyfriends from Hyotei and Shitenhouji!" said Nanjiroh.

Ryoma's temper was flaring out of control and wasn't sure how many more blackmail photos were supposed to be taken? There were also some photos taken during the drama play as well and now Fuji had distributed those photos to his two sadist captain friends!

Hyotei Auditorium 6:45

The audience was already seated and many of them were wondering on how surprising this school play was. Furthermore, no one had expected that the boys' tennis team was going to put on a play like this for the whole world to see. This could be a major embarrassment for them!

Elsewhere, a particular redhead kept on peeping through the curtains.

"Nya, so many people. But why am I putting on this collar? It's so heavy!" said Eiji.

"You don't have to wear it now if it is heavy. We don't want you to suffocate, would we, Eiji?"

"He's right, as long as we are the narrators, we won't let anything happen to our friends." Added Shiraishi.

"Mou! Fuji-sempai, Kuranosuke-sempai! You guys are so mean, nya!" pouted Eiji in his costume. Although he didn't mind playing as a dog because he loves puppies and kittens since he knows that Atobe and Shishido both have dogs and Echizen has a cat.

As for Fuji and Kuranosuke, both of them were plainly dressed in t-shirts and blue jeans because narrators didn't have to wear fancy clothes.

Once Eiji bounced over to the dressing room he knocked on the door and said, "Ooshi, are you done in there?"

"Eiji, please leave me be…" came a voice from the dressing room. Oishi was stressed and embarrassed.

"Is something wrong?" asked Eiji

"No, nothing is wrong." Replied Oishi

"You don't sound like yourself."

"I'm fine. Makybe it's better if I do not take part in the play tonight."

"You can't leave now! What would Atobe say if he found out you were walking out of such an important performance?"

"It's because of personal reasons,"

"are you sick or something?"

"No, No! I am fine!"

Eiji couldn't take it anymore. What was really wrong with his doubles partner? "Oishi, can I come in, nya?" Without much thinking, Eiji opened the door.

"Eiji! Don't you understand anything about privacy?" shouted Oishi.

Then there was silence…

Eiji suddenly laughed at Oishi's costume and Fuji could hear it from outside the dressing room as he came in. Unfortunately for him, he also lost the ability to hold in his laughter as they pointed at the Mother of Seigaku's costume.

"Eiji, cut it out! It is not funny!"

"Nyahahahaha! I can't help it!" Laughed Eiji, "I never knew you were the grandmother!"

At first thought, most people would be feeling sorry for the fuku-buchou of Seigaku, but with the dress and the wig on the boy's body. All the students erupted into laughter and pointed at Oishi's costume. The sight was very amusing indeed. As for Ryoma, he turned towards the corner of the hallway when he heard a familiar voice that was laughing like crazy. He then turned towards the dressing room and stopped to look at Oishi. What the hell happened to him? Ryoma immediately rubbed his eyes and wondered if someone made a mistake.

Well, Fuji is still considered normal and Eiji's dog suit was fine. But as Ryoma looked face-to-face with Oishi, he was stunned. "Why are you wearing that?" 

"The play…" came the weak reply from Oishi.

Ryoma must have forgotten about the play because Fuji chose the mother of seigaku to play the old grandmother while Oichibi played the Red Riding hood. God, he shouldn't be thinking too much.

"Ano, Fuji?" Taka came in with his tree costume. "I'm he-Oishi, what in god's name have you dressed yourself as?"

Oishi resisted the urge to scream, but Fuji immediately cut in, stopping the fuku-buchou from saying anything. "This costume is just for the play. Taka, go ahead and put this on." He then handed the big blob of paper to Kawamura. "Take your hands and hold the leaves."

"As for you Ryoma, do you think you can go into the dressing room and put on your costume without struggling so much?"

"Don't make me do this again." Snapped Ryoma.

"I had no other choice. That costume is going to be a bigger issue for you because you are just too nervous for the part." Fuji's smile was getting wider.

"NANI!? I am not nervous! I just don't want to be a girl!" retorted Ryoma.

"Just as I thought. You haven't gotten used to the dress yet. Oh well, the sooner we do this play, the sooner your boyfriends will get the pictures and share it with the rest of the class."

"How dare you! You won't get away with this!" Before ryoma could react, Fuji immediately grabbed him into the dressing room with Eiji and the shriek of screams could be heard.

Ten minutes before the start of the play

"I feel for that brat." Said Yuushi. "Dressing him up as a girl and all that."

"Yeah but you have to admit, he does make a cute looking doll for Atobe's drawers." Replied Mukahi

Atobe immediately took pictures of Ryoma's hideous costume before sending them to the regulars in the audience while Tezuka didn't say anything as he was still the well. He was going to have to deal with Kaidou by holding his feet.

"I would say that there is a 90 percent chance that your captain is pissed off, Inui." Said Renji.

Tezuka could only glare at the two data masters before ignoring them.

"Finally, we are ready!" called Eiji. He then opened the door and out came Ryoma and Fuji since the sadistic captain had a smile on his face.

Once everyone was out, there was silence among the crowd. Obviously everyone was shocked since Fuji had dolled Ryoma up just like he did with the drama play. Ryoma was scowling like crazy since his costume was already hideous enough and the make-up was disgusting.

Fuji cleared his throat to get the audiences' attention. "Ahem, now that we're all here, we can start the play.

With no one having anything to say, everyone took their seats in the auditorium

The play started off with Fuji narrating and introducing Little Red Riding Hood, who was walking with a basket in his hand.

"It was a wonderful sunny day as Little Red Riding hood was told to bring cakes and dishes for her grandmother that lives across the hill. Her mother told her to be careful and never talk to strangers. With that, Little Red Riding Hood left and went on her way" said Fuji

Ryoma walked across the stage as slowly as he could while trying to keep a calm composure. He could hear gasps from the crowd and Mukahi blushing furiously. Even Kintaro wanted to go right up there and kiss his brother on the face as well since he has a fan club out there. There were also delighted whispers from the crowd saying, "Oh my god! Ryoma is so cute! We can date him now!" He was so pissed off and wanted to strangle the narrator.

"Little red riding hood was well on her way when all of a sudden, a big bad wolf comes her way,"

As Kaido walked out, snickers can be head from the crowd.

"Fsshh! Little Red Riding Hood, where are you going?" said Kaidou with his best wolf impression

"I'm on my way to my grandmother's house to give her the fucking cakes and dishes," said ryoma as he gritted his teeth. Who cares if he was swearing

At that moment the entire crowd gasped while the Hyotei regulars laughed like crazy. Sanada on the other hand was ready to give Ryoma a good smack on the head. Even the Seigaku tennis teams were floored at that response.

"Ryoma! Shame on you for swearing in front of an audience!" someone shouted.

Hiding his shock, Kaidoh continued "Why don't you follow me? I can bring you to your grandmother's house."

"No thanks. My mom tells me not to talk to strangers." Said Ryoma as he stomped off towards the cabin.

As the scene changed, Kaidoh entered the cabin to see Oishi on the rocking chair

"Who are you?" acted Oishi. He was feeling stupid in this costume.

"I am the big bad wolf and I am here to eat you." Said kaidoh. He was blushing furiously and was planning to apologize to his sempai later on.

"The Big Bad wolf's wickedness decided to eat Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother and takes her clothes and disguises himself as the grandmother. What will happen next?" narrated Fuji

As the audience watched. Yuushi was trying hard not to laugh since he would definitely play a better role of the grandmother, but unfortunately for him, Atobe would probably have a difficult time to convince the blue haired tensai of the role because he couldn't do the old age acting.

The scene changed again as Ryoma entered the cabin.

"Grandma, I brought you the fucking cakes and dishes as you requested, you old bag of bones," snapped Ryoma.

Kaidoh was twitching like crazy. How could his kohai be that disrespectful?

"Good, please put them on the table." He said

"Oh grandma, Why are your eyes so big?" said Ryoma

"All the better to see you with, fssshhh"

"Why are your ears so big?"

"All the better to hear you with,"

"Why are your teeth so big?"

"All the better to eat you with,"

"Oh dear, it seems that the big bad wolf had just eaten Little Red Riding Hood! What will happen next?" said Fuji

As the scene changed again, Taka and Inui were standing still as best as they could since they are all trees. Even momo could hear something. "I am hearing someone crying for help. Do you hear it as well, doggy?"

"Ruff, nya," Everyone snickered quietly and Atobe tried his best not to spit out his tea while laughing. Eiji's habit of saying nya in his senetences was becoming a bad habit.

"Let's see where the trail leads. And remind me not to do anymore school plays after this." he thought to himself.

As Tezuka came out as the well, his fans were screaming in delight. However, Tezuka was blushing furiously as well and wanted to strangle Fuji as well since he didn't want to deal with fangirls.

"There is the big bad wolf," said Momo. Really, it was only a fake wolf on the ground with Ryoma and Oishi inside of it.

Ryoma was scowling like crazy. Why did he wear that wolf suit anyway? This was Kaidoh's role and not his.

"Ruff, Ruff, nya!" Eiji crawled on all four corners of the wolf suit as Momo followed him.

"I hear cries from the wolf," said Momo as he kicked Ryoma in order to let him scream for help. But all he got was an "OW!"

"The hunter cuts the wolf's stomach open and frees Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother. And now, they have a plan of attack." Said Fuji

Once Ryoma and Oishi were freed, they were both embarrassed and now Oishi knew how Ryoma felt.

"Are you guys all right?" asked Momo

"Yeah, we are fine." Said Ryoma as he glared at Momo for kicking him so hard.

"What do you think we should do with the wolf?"

"Let's sew his stomach together and fill it with rocks." Said Oishi. As the gang gathered up the rocks to fill up the wolf's stomach, kaido replaced the fake wolf suit on the ground and was lying there without any movement. Ryoma then threw the rock directly at Kaidoh instead of putting in the pouch.

"Uumph!" grunted kaido. What the hell did he do that for?

Everyone sweat-dropped. Shishido was ready to pound the living daylights out of Ryoma, but he was quickly restrained by his partner. In the end, the pouch was filled and Oishi was pretending to sew the stomach together

"hurry everyone. We need to leave before he wakes up!" said Momo. Everyone followed him to the safety area.

As Kaido got up, he could feel that the sack was getting too heavy for him to carry. Why couldn't paper have been a better option? "I need to drink some water," said Kaidoh as he walked over to the well. By the time he got there, he was panting like crazy while Inui and taka were trying hard not to laugh. Once kaido leaned over the edge, he was supposed to fall in head first while Tezuka was holding Kaidoh's feet to prevent him from having any sort of concussion. As the plan worked, Kaido went to the ground anyway with his head hit hard since his weight was too much for the buchou to bear.

"And with that, the wolf is gone. The dog, grandmother, and the Litte Red Riding hood lived happily ever after!" ended fuji as he bowed to the crowd. Everyone laughed before applauding.

"I will show you a happy ending Fuji!" thought Ryoma fiercely.

Just then, Atobe got up and walked over to the stage and immediately held onto Ryoma's waists and said to him, "Well done, my young love. You really pulled this off."

"Nani? I didn't do it alone, this was Fuji's idea from the start. He should be the one to suffer for this." Replied Ryoma.

"Don't blame him, gaki! Besides, we all saw how well you handled yourself tonight." Replied Sanada as he and Atobe both leaned over and kissed Ryoma on the cheeks while Atobe carried the boy bridal-style towards the crowd below and bowed. "Thank you all for coming to see this performance. And now, for my final reward, I will be taking Ryoma's hand in marriage!"

Everyone gasped, including Ryoma. "This wasn't part of the performance!" he snapped.

"Don't be silly, brat! You've fulfilled your end of the bargain. Now then, how about a kiss for your new bride?" said Atobe as he leaned over, but Ryoma slowly pushed him back and dashed off the stage.

"Hell no! I am so done being a girl!" shouted Ryoma.

"Come back here, my love! Our future awaits us!" shouted Atobe as he chased after his bride.

The next day.

The newspapers were buzzing with stories about the play last night and as the coaches from both schools read it, both were laughing like crazy and called each other on the phone.

"Sakaki-san, I think our boys handled this really well. I can't wait to see Ryoma becoming a mother soon." Said Ryuzaki.

"You guys have made quite a ruckus last night. How am I going to handle this sort of royal wedding?" protested Sakaki.

"I am sure Atobe corp will be more than happy to make the arrangements." Smiled Ryuzaki.

Sakaki groaned furiously and placed the phone back on the receiver without saying another word. He then continued reading the paper and a slight smirk appeared above his face.

Back at Hyotei…

"Wait, no! You can't be serious. You guys really wanted to kiss me right here and now?" said Ryoma.

"Oh will you relax? After all, that play went off without complications. You are a star now." Said Shishido.

"Besides, I am more than happy to see the whole thing on the computer. So just do us this favor and let us grace you with love!" smiled Mukahi as he jumped up and down with excitement.

"before we do that. We got a letter from Seigaku." Said yuushi as he opened the envelope.

"Dear Hyotei gakuen,

We wanted to thank you guys for letting us use your school for the play. If it wasn't for you guys, we wouldn't have made it so successful. And congratulations on your unofficial royal marriage. On behalf of Seigaku, we would like to send you the best regards from us and wish you and Ryoma a happy future together. Besides, this first kiss shouldn't be an issue for him. Even Fuji promised to send you guys flowers once the wedding gets underway. Also, those blackmail photos are for you guys to keep. Please teach him the meaning of true love and what it means to have a sex life."

Regards,

Fuji Syusuke and the rest of the team.

Everyone snickered and laughed at the letter.

Also in the envelop were photos from the play itself of Atobe holding Ryoma bridal style as he kissed the boy on his cheeks while the rest of them featured Seigaku gathering around the freshman huddling around him and taking turns rubbing their bodies all over the kid. Poor Ryoma couldn't take it anymore as he sighed.

"Damn you Fuji! I swear to god, you mention any of this to Shiraishi, I will spike your drink with alcohol!" shouted Ryoma.

"I am afraid that the Seigaku team can't save you this time. You belong to us now." Said Hiyoshi evilly.

"Wait! What-what are you guys doing? Put me down!" shouted Ryoma, but he couldn't move.

All of the Hyotei regulars laughed as they settled the raven haired teen down on the ground. One by one, they took their turns kissing Ryoma. However, Taki couldn't do it as he dashed off towards the school grounds, leaving everyone having confused looks at the tennis player.

"Remind me to give him 30 laps as punishment." Said Atobe as he embraced Ryoma tightly while resting his hands on the boy's chest and kissing him on the lips.

"Fuck this! I am never doing a girl anymore!" shouted Ryoma as he groaned in despair while everyone else continued rubbing Ryoma's hair and embracing him tightly. This time, Ryoma would swear vengeance on the sadist Fuji at all costs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: Well, looks like Fuji struck again since he will do anything to make his team miserable. I am betting that Ryoma will have something cooked up soon because he will not be letting Seigaku win this time. The play was a success. Who knew Ryoma had the guts to do a girl? This makes him finding a girlfriend a lot easier and now he will be learning a lot about marriage and love. Please read and review. I will see you guys again after the new year with a new chapter.


	37. Vengeance Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Konomi-Sensei has all the rights to the series and I will never own it

It's been a few weeks now since the school play and the coach of Seigaku, Ryuzaki Sumiere, continued twitching after getting inundated with phone calls from the news reporters and magazines. She said that enough was enough and that now, it was time to put all three rival teams together in order to ensure that Ryoma can have a chance to get a date with all the big boys. At this point, as she sifted through the photo on her desk, she could only smile while picking up the phone.

Back at Hyotei, atobe and the others were going about their business as usual while Sakaki was still fuming in his office after that fiasco. Suddenly he was awoken by the sound of his phone ringing as he picked it up. "Yes? Coach Sakaki speaking."

"Hello there coach, I see that our little baby boy has gotten used to being a part of your love troupe along with Rikkai Dai Fuzoku Chuu. Tell me, how well is he fitting in?" said Sumiere

"This whole thing was your doing and now you are asking me? I swear even Ryoma said to me that he would make me his next date as long as he can get vengeance on your sadistic brown haired freak for orchestrating this mess. Believe me, my boys have been at it day and night and I am unable to finish my work in peace." Groaned Sakaku.

"Oh come on now, don't put the whole blame on me. It is snot my fault that Ryoma was dressed up like a girl in order to show off to the most popular boys on your team and to Rikkaidai. Besides, it was my way of saying thanks for taking care of him. After all, Ryoma has been a pillar of love among the boys here in the tennis club so it is nice to know that he has people coming after him day and night." Smiled Sumiere.

Sakaki like out a frustrating sigh before speaking into the receiver, "Such a scene like this is sending chills down my spine and now I got a whole bunch of reporters out there asking me various questions such as when that brat will officially marry Atobe or when he will inherit the mansion. It took me and the obys forever to keep them out of my office since they are really persistent. Unfortuantely for me, I am not going to be the one responsible for this mess." Replied Sakaki.

'Relax won't you? I am sure we all pulled this off without a hitch. Besides, you seem to have a good bond with that kid since he will do just about anything that is asked of him. He can be a bit devilish at times with his father and Fuji, but he is a good kid." Continued Sumiere.

Sakaki face-palmed at that response and replied, "You guys are so unbelievable. This is not what I had signed up for. But no matter, I guess our team has been tasked to have another vacation at a beach down in Osaka. After all, I am never used to these loud noises of the press conference, but this is way too much for me to bear. Anyway, I am glad that our school has given the opportunity to let this play succeed. It's getting late here, I will see you guys tomorrow at the gates of Hyotei." With that, Sakaki hung up the phone and placed his hands underneath his chin while smiling.

At Ryoma's house, things were mut getting much better as Ryoma hopped into his room and lied down on the bed to rest his body after a long day. However, his father tip-toed upstairs and knocked on the door.

"Oi, Seishounen! It's time for dinner! Stop lounging around the bed!" called Nanjiro

"I can't! Not with the disguise I am wearing!" shouted Ryoma.

"Oh you'll be fine, Chibisuke! I am sure all the girls back in America would love to see you dressed up as a girl. After all, everyone thinks you are cute!" laughed Ryoga

"S-Shut up, Ryoga-nii! Don't make me take my vengeance out on you!" shouted Ryoma as he blushed furiously.

"Maa Maa, no need to take it out on your dear old brother Ryoga!" smiled the elder Echizen as he opened the door and dragged his younger brother downstairs.

"Ryoga-nii, what is the meaning of this? I can walk you know!" protested Ryoma.

"Ah-ah! A big brother must follow common courtesy here. As a popular ladies man, you need to let me carry you downstairs for your big dinner feast!" laughed Ryoga as he settled his brother down on the chair.

Ryoma groaned in frustration since he couldn't find a way out of this mess let alone being a part of Fuji's pranks. However, he knows that alcohol was the only thing that can make a sadist drunk. Furthermore, Ryoma headed over to the wine bar area and grabbed a few beers and placed them in his tennis bag before sitting down to dinner again.

"So, Seishounen, I see that the pictures are spreading like wildfire, care to explain?" asked Nanjiro.

"Yeah, please tell us, Ryo-chan." Smiled nanako.

"It was just some dumb play that was orchestrated by that sadistic good for nothing Fuji. He just wants me to fall for him instead of Atobe, Sanada, Yukimura, or even Tezuka for that matter. Besides, I am having trouble deciding whom to fall in love with because they are all older than me. Yes I do see them as my brothers, but this is just going overboard. I am just not going to sit back and watch Fuji make a joke out of me. He may think this is a laughing matter, but we will see who has the last laugh. What I am about to show him will be provocative to the whole school." Replied Ryoma sheepishly.

At that moment, Ryoga nearly choked on his drink as he stared down at his little brother. He then grabbed the napkin on the table and wiped his mouth before talking again.

"Don't tell me you are planning to do something that you will regret for the rest of your life?" stated Ryoga.

"This is payback for what Fuji did to me." Smiled Ryoma devilishly as he poured the contents of the beer into the canteen and mixed it up with Inui's juice. He then placed it back into his tennis bag before leaving the house, leaving his family to watch him in awe.

"That brat sure knows how to make dangerous concoctions for his teammates, doesn't he?" smiled Nanjiro.

"That's my chibiuske. He always has plans of his own to get back at his sempais for messing with him. Just like that old saying, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" smiled Ryoga.

Back at Seigaku, everyone were resuming practice as usual while Ryoma went into the clubroom and changed into his tennis uniform before setting the rest of his things in his locker. As he headed outside, he spotted Fuji waving at him.

"Saa, so my lover has returned once again. I hope you enjoyed that torture we put you through last night." Smiled Fuji darkly.

"That torture you put me through, will come back and haunt you because I already got something planned for you. Check your canteen in the clubroom after this match is over, sempai." Said Ryoma gleefully while the others were in shock and awe.

"Saa, so Ryoma is planning to give me a parting gift for his troubles? This I got to see." Smiled Fuji dryly.

The stoic tezuka looked at Fuji for a brief moment and cleared his throat. "Everyone, gather around for practice sessions with your teammates. Oh, I also personally invited the people of Hyotei here because I have them to thank for letting Ryoma become the girl of Atobe's dreams." Said the captain.

Everyone immediately faceplanted to the ground at that response while Ryuzaki snickered like crazy, "BUCHOU! I never realized that you had a fetish for Atobe. But what's your reason for bringing them here?" asked Taka.

Just then, the sounds of fanfare could be heard outside of the Seigaku tennis courts along with a car approaching towards the gates. At that moment, ryoma knew who it was and decided to investigate. Sure enough, Atobe's personal servants stepped forward while the students of Seigaku immediately opened the gates in order to allow the red carpet to flow through smoothly. As the other regulars arrived, they wondered if this was some sort of a welcoming party from the captain himself.

Just then, Atobe's butler stepped out and said, "May I present to you, the king of Hyotei, Keigo Atobe!" he then bowed gracefully to Momo and the others as Atobe approached them.

"Well, well, well, it seems that your stoic captain has personally picked me to observe your tennis matches here today. But I can see that he has other plans for me." Smiled Atobe with the crown on top of his head.

"M-Monkey King, what are you doing here?" said ryoma nervously.

"Ore-sama reminds you to stop calling me that." Huffed Atobe.

"mada Mada dane." Said ryoma as he blushed.

"Anyway, as I was saying, your buchou called me here to watch your tennis matches and I noticed that you haven't started yet. Do you need me to help you with your moves again?" continued Atobe.

"No, no sir, I got it. But thank you I should really get back to practice, but you can come in now." Said Ryoma as he rushed off towards the tennis courts.

Atobe looked at him for a moment and scratched his head, "That brat is very strange indeed. I wonder what could be making him so nervous today." He thought to himself.

As Atobe arrived at the tennis courts, he waved at Tezuka, whom was in the middle of finishing his tennis match with Fuji. He then told fuji to take a break and to get something to drink from the clubroom. Once Fuji nodded and left, the captain turned his attention towards atobe and said, "Fancy meeting you here, keigo."

"Same here, you must be awed by my presence, ahn?" Said Atobe.

"We have been rivals for too long, and yes as brothers, your presence is indeed welcome here.' Said Tezuka.

"Let's put our rivalry aside, since you know that we do share love with Echizen just like Sanada, Fuji and Yuushi all do. Overall, that kid sure has melted our hearts with his remarkable performance last night and to be honest, we have never, ever seen him doing something so dazzling." Continued Atobe.

"I know that feeling, even I couldn't take my eyes off of him for one second. The moment I saw him in that dress, I was blushing furiously, even Yukimura as well. I would have kissed that boy right on the nose like you would do." Said Tezuka.

Just them, a sound of sneezing could be heard from behind the bushes as Ryoma rubbed his nose, "geez, why is everyone so obsessed with me?" he thought to himself.

Elsewhere at Yukimura's house, the Rikkaidai captain was relaxing himself at the garden area while Sanada was in the basement working on his dojo training since they already knew about the Echizen/Atobe affair going on. Even they couldn't do much about it now because Sanada himself wanted to start a relationship with the kid as well. There was no telling where this whole love relationship will go when Ryoma is surrounded by older boys.

"Sanada Fuku-buchou! A word with you if I may?" called Yukimura.

At that moment, Sanada realized what he had heard and rushed upstairs before heading towards the garden area. Once there he could see Yukimura watering the plants and said, "Yes, Yukimura, what is it?"

"Are you in love with that Seigaku brat?" asked the captain.

Sanada immediately widened his eyes at what the captain just said and blushed, "What are you talking about, Seiichi? Who told you that I was in love with that Rookie brat?"

"Don't deny it, fuku-buchou, unless you want a taste of Ryoma's wine inside the clubroom?" Yukimura gave him an icy glare that not even his teammates could stand. Even Sanada knows that he shouldn't be lying to his captain or else he could be running laps around the entire garden as punishment.

"H-Hai, Yukimura-buchou. I think I might be in love with him, but Ryoma just refuses to admit it since he has trouble deciding whom he is really in love with. Looks like you and I have to pay a visit to Seigaku and we have to let him decide for himself." Said Sanada as he immediately sheathed his sword and returned it to the basement dojo area while Yukimura finished up in the garden before they changed their clothes and headed over to Seigaku.

"You realize this means that your love for me will happen sooner or later, right, Sanada-sempai?" continued yukimura.

"What are you talking about? Since when did you become my boyfriend? He then thinks back to that dream again about him beating Yukimura in a tennis match

Sanada could feel the ball grazing the strings of his racket and he didn't think what would happen next. He just merely lifted his racket back up and shooting it to Yukimura's side of the court. He then twisted his body again while landing roughly on his knees while scratching his legs on the ground. He couldn't care less what would happen to him as long as he got back up and running again.

"Out!" called the umpire. "Game and match, Seiichi Yukimura. 0-6."

Sanada stood there while being immobile. His teeth was still clenching with disappointment while blood and sweat continued to roll down his body. He has lost to Yukimura once again since he had been trying his best to defeat the child of god, but couldn't bring himself to do so. As his blood boiled in anger, he looked at the person that he despised day after day, but chose to accept defeat in grace.

Yukimura smiled at him before turning away to get his gold medal

Afterwards, Sanada immediately shook his head to get that nightmare out of his mind. He could then feel his cap being taken off his head. As he looked up, he felt his head for the cap but it was not there. He then turned to look at Yukimura with the hat in his hand

"Buchou, please give me my cap back." Said Sanada.

"You must be daydreaming again, what about?" asked Yukimura.

"Maybe it's about ryoma, but I highly doubt that it would be him. Now, can I have my hat back?" asked Sanada.

"Nope, you are going to be posing for some photos for me. I need you to hold still so that you can be a perfect model for me." Smiled Yukimura as he took out his cell phone and turned into the photo position.

"Why? Don't I have a right to daydream?" began Sanada.

"Of course, you should only daydream about me." Smiled Yukimura.

Sanada wasn't even sure what Yukimura sees in the vice-captain and just shrugged it off. "Sure, now can I have my cap back?"

"Actually, I cannot see anything well with this cap because I want to take some photos of you without it," said Yukimura.

Sanada thought it was a good thing that he has been daydreaming because he has been the center of Yukimura's life and that his body was acting up again. Furthermore, the child of god's eyes were so intent on Sanada as if he was the only important person in this world. Those blue orbs were roaming through every single inch of his body and looking at every detail and movement that sanada was making. At that moment, Sanada was feeling a bit uncomfortable posing for the camera as he squirmed like crazy.

"Hold still my dear Sanada." Warned Yukimura. "you are making the pictures far too blurry."

"You are the one that is making this very uncomfortable for me!" thought sanada as he looked at the potted cactus outside of Yukimura's house. He wished to have hidden the cap inside his tennis bag while looking away from Yukimura's face because he felt exposed without his headgear. Sanada then paused to take a deep breath and tried to make his body staying very still while trying to think about kendo, grip tape, tennis, and of course his team. Even Yukimura was thinking about that freshman from Seigaku and the words said to him as well. But despite all that, sanada was still wondering how he had spent his entire life hating Yukimura with a passion until a few nmonths ago. Although there is some constant bickering between them, there were times that Sanada was acting a bit immature. But now, Sanada was starting to become jealous of Yukimura now, but that didn't excuse him from fighting and the hate he had on the bluenette.

Just then, a knock at the door could be heard as the two teammates from Rikkaidai turned and saw yukimura's mother. She was still smiling the same angel-like smile that Yukimura had, except for the fact that she had dimples on her cheeks. Their hair was still the same wavy and dark blue texture, but also, her hair is a lot longer.

"You guys have forgotten to pack your lunches. I don't want you guys to go hungry." Said the woman.

"Thank you, Seiichi-chan," bowed Sanada as he took the packed lunches and handed one for Yukimura.

"Thanks mom." Replied Yukimura.

Yukimura was still looking at the photos that he took and observing the different angles as if he was trying to see how he could make it a lot better. Although there is still a bit of blurriness on some of the photos, he wondered if he should adjust the vision and brightness a bit in order to ensure that Sanada would stay very still for as long as possible. Looks like he would be doing his signature pose for a long while.

"Perhaps you can ensure that the pictures can be taken horizontally and zoom the camera a bit more. Besides, you need to intimidate the power through picture mode."

"Right, I should maybe adjust Sanada's posture and adjust his chin a bit more. Also his jaw could be a bit more pronounced. His eyes could use a bit more brown too." Said Yukimura.

"The photos looks really good, son. But I would like to see one thing change." Said the mother

"What's that?" asked a concerned Yukimura.

"I would definitely take a photo of him undraped." Replied the mother.

It took a moment for Sanada to fully process his brain and to understand what the mother had said. But when he understood it fully, his face started flushing bright red at the comment. At that moment, Yukimura was regretting not to take photos of Sanada naked and showing it to his classmates.

"Too late for that now." Huffed Sanada.

"You guys have a good day now," said the mother.

"Thanks, I will be sure to send the photos to Fuji and Shiraishi later on." Said yukimura evilly.

That made sanada twitch in anger as he wanted to slap the captain right on his cheeks. He was wondering if the captain's teasing had gotten him to the point where he couldn't handle the whole love affair for much longer.

"Sanada…" whispered Yukimura.

"No! Don't even think about it, you rapist! I am never posing nude in front of my classmates. And give me back my cap."

Yukimura twirled the cap around for a bit before tossing it playfully. "How about an exchange?"

"No way will I be modeling naked in your photos when you have my cap. Now then, give it here." Said Sanada sternly.

"Tch! You're no fun." Said Yukimura while giving in since he was asking for a high bargain price. But that didn't mean he could lower the bargain. "So, promise me that you will kiss me in order to get your cap back,"

Sanada immediately rolled his eyes before approaching the short haired teen. Furthermore, Yukimura was holding nothing back while Ryoma watched from beside the bushes and wondered if he should keep a photo of this for memories. Thinking quickly, he quickly called Atobe on the phone and said, "Looks like Sanada has found his true calling."

"Really? What are those two doing?' replied Atobe on the other line.

"Apparently, Sanada is falling in love with his boyfriend Yukimura and they are smooching together. Shall I take the photo?" continued the raven haired teen.

"Please do, I am sure Sanada wouldn't mind." Replied Atobe. The line went dead after that reply and Ryoma immediately waited for the opportunity to get those two on photo.

Sanada kissed Yukimura's lips tightly and a flash came from the camera behind the bushes. But neither of them noticed it and just shrugged it off. Yukimura definitely smelled like paint today and Sanada didn't feel his hair features having soft texture against his cheeks. When Sanada pulled back, Yukimura looked at the bushes behind the vice-captain and was annoyed about something.

"What is it?" asked Sanada

"Do you feel that someone is spying on our kissing, or do you think you just don't like my kisses?" said Yukimura.

"Who said I didn't like your kisses? I only did it to make you stop complaining. Now then, can I have my cap back?" said Sanada as he reached out his hand.

"Nope, not until you give me a real kiss with your tongue." Stated Yukimura.

Ryoma covered his mouth and snickered quietly while hiding behind the bushes.

"You are so gross right now, Yukimura." Sanada said as he slipped the cap back on his head.

Yukimura was laughing right now and said, "Oh come now. I won't bite." He then wrapped his arms around Sanada;s neck as their lips molded together. But barely a minute passed, Sanada could feel the hot and wet texture of Yukimura's tongue pressing forward on his lips.

"Although you might not bite, I do." Said the vice captain.

"Still as stubborn as ever, aren't you?" whispered Yukimura. "Now stay still. You are in for several more hours of camera posing." He then turned towards the bushes. "You can come out now, Ryoma nii-san"

A few minutes later, Ryoma came out from the bushes and said, "Yukimura-sempai. I didn't even know you had an affair with Sanada fukubuchou. Looks like it would be hard for me to decide who I really love now."

"Why would you think that? Sanada loves a little man like you just like Atobe and the others do. Besides, if you find it hard to choose the man you love, then love all of us back. You don't need to pick-and-choose each time. Anyway, I saw the photo that you took and I think you should definitely keep it. Besides, you wanted payback on Fuji don't you? Just slip this little bit of spice into Fuji's bottled water and maybe then, he will think twice about torturing you with a dress again."

Ryoma immediately took the spice pack and said, "Thanks, Yukimura-buchou. I think I already spiked Fuji's bottle with alcohol and I am sure he is pretty much slurring his speech right about now. Maybe the spice is to ensure that he has more sweat and tears when he plays tennis." Smiled Ryoma darkly.

"Perhaps, now go get them, bro!" said Yukimura as he did a fingered pose towards Ryoma.

Ryoma bowed gracefully and left. Yukimura then turned his attention towards Sanada and continued with what he was doing. Just then the phone rang and the voice was Shiraishi on the other line.

"Hello, Shiraishi-buchou, what can I help you with today?"

"Yes, I was wondering how long it took for you to return my call. I noticed that you are planning to drug fuji with some sort of a special ingredient, is that true?"

"It's not my intention to do it. I sent ryoma up for the task so I think he shall be the one to succed. I mean the Inui juice didn't have much effect on him so the alcohol should definitely take over." Replied Yukimura.

"Wow! You are a sadist just like me! You really want to let Fuji drink wine? He isn't old enough to drink yet. His brain will be messed up by the time he finishes the drink." Warned Shiraishi.

"Just watch and see. I am sure Fuji will be able to sleep it off tonight." Finished Yukimura as he ended the call.

Back at Seigaku, Fuji walked inside the club room and took his water bottle and realized that instead of water, he was served with alcohol instead. He then wondered what else was in there and decided to take a whiff of it.

"This looks to be rather interesting. I wonder if this wine should change my way of playing tennis. Ah, what the hell? Might as well drink it." Said Fuji as he took a couple of sips of the drink. He then paused as the entire room started shaking. Fuji then realized that this was no water at all as sweat started pouring out from his face. He then paused to place the water bottle on the ground and covered his mouth before spitting it out into the water fountain. "What the hell is this? Which one of you smart-ass mother fuckers spiked my drink?" yelled Fuji.

Everyone outside of the clubroom were staring at Fuji in awe. None of them said anything since they were not responsible for the crime, but rather a raven-haired freshman did it as payback.

"Come on now, fess up. Which one of you did it?" TELL ME!" roared Fuji. His eyes was turning purple as tick marks appeared on his forehead.

"It was me, Fuji-sempai. I spiked your water with Swedish wine that Atobe had left for you in your locker. Luckily, you will be out for at least 24 hours tonight with the American spice I added in there. Consider this payback for making me wearing that dress. Happy Valentines day to you!" said Ryoma as he stuck his tongue out at the third year sadist before running into the direction of Atobe's car.

At that moment, Fuji was about to sock Ryoma for messing with his water, but decided to let it go as he watched the kid run off. He then made a few fists before throwing the towel on the floor. "Saa! Well played you little fucker! I guess tough love does work both ways since Shiraishi and Yukimura taught you a bit about reverse psychology. Well then, I will get you back one day, I promise!" thought Fuji as he stormed off into the showers and wiped his mouth with the napkins

Back in the car, Atobe and the others laughed like crazy after Ryoma's stunt. Looks like he will not be running laps after all since Tezuka wanted harsh punishment on Fuji for making him playing the tree.

"That was such a brilliant stunt you did back there, gaki." Smiled Atobe.

"Thanks, Keigo, but I didn't do it on my own, I had some help." Replied Ryoma.

"I would assume its Yukimura, ahn?"

"Yup, only he would try something like this since he did it to Sanada a while back. And boy, it took the vice-captain forever to sleep it off. He couldn't even remember what happened the next day. I am sure Fuji will be experiencing the same side effects as well. Maybe then, I won't need to be abused or punished so much just as long as I can get love from you, Tezuka, Fuji, Sanada, yuushi, Yukimura, and Shiraishi. I am not trying to be picky here, but I want all of you to be mine!" said Ryoma.

Atobe widened his eyes at the seigaku freshman and said, "Really? You want all of us to love you? Well, that is just about the best decision that you have made all day. Are you suggesting that all of us should live with you?"

"Yup, that's right, but I cannot just love one person, I want you all to be my boyfriend for life and together, we can be a family! I am sure Ryoga would definitely approve of this since he took good care of me when we were younger." Said Ryoma.

"Are you sure about this, Ryo-chan? I was the one that put you in a precarious situation previously, and now you are over that already?" stated Tezuka.

"Yes Tezuka-buchou, I forgave you for slapping me during the selection matches, but still now that I made my choice, will you guys do the honor of being my family?" said Ryoma as he reached out his hand.

Tezuka and atobe both looked at each other and nodded. They were surprised that Ryoma wanted these guys as brothers and lovers, but more importantly, his role models. They in turn, shook Ryoma's hand and said, "Of course, we would be honored to be your family members."

Ryoma then smiled at them and said, "Thank you guys! I promise you will not regret this!"

Wthout a moment's hesitation, Yukimura and Sanada arrived at the Seigaku tennis courts and asked, "What's going on?"

"You guys will be a part of Ryoma's love life now. He has already made his decision to take all of us in as his family." Said tezuka.

"are you serious? That would mean I can show Ryoma the true meaning of playing pranks on people." Said Yukimura.

"I would be able to have some one-on-one practice sessions with that little brat and show him the meaning of "emperor" added Sanada.

"Remind me to give him laps if he doesn't eat or drink healthy enough." Finished Tezuka.

"It's settled then. We have officially made Ryoma as a part of our Lovers Committee. This meet will take place at my mansion tonight. Don't be late." Finished Atobe. "Driver, take me back to the mansion to get ready for this important meeting tonight."

The driver nodded as he drove off while the others waved at him from a distance away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: Looks like Ryoma has finally accepted his destiny on finding love in everyone from various schools. I wonder how this committee will play out in the next few chapters. Anyway, sorry for the long delay in writing this. I was so busy keeping the house clean and my mom is out of town. So, please forgive me for not writing sooner. Anyway, I wonder if Ryoma has also found his true calling now. We shall find out next time.


	38. Winning Both Buchous' Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Konomi-Sensei has all the rights to the series and I will never own it

That night, as storm clouds loomed over the quiet night sky, it was preparing to pour rain down on the city of Tokyo for the next several hours. But Ryoma wasn't worried since he came prepared for worse case scenarios with his raincoat since he didn't want to catch pneumonia. As for his teammates, they sometimes wander idly for long periods of time without even focusing on their main goal. All they could think of was their buchou's trademark phrase "Yudan sezu ni ikou!"

Once Ryoma entered the clubroom, clarity started coming into his eyes and mind as he glanced around at the regulars gathered in the classroom making sure that Tezuka-buchou didn't show up to warn them again after he left for Germany. Furthermore, he made sure to text them to keep working hard even after his final day at school that day. Suddenly, Momo and Kikumaru had to drag their kohai off without any explanation since this has been a common occurrence these days. Although Ryoma didn't flinch when he was being flung into a classroom with the others, he just sighed in disgust.

Following that stunt, the room was filled with useless hours of pointless bickering thanks to Momo and Kaido. However, Fuji wasn't there to stop them because it will lead to more distractions that could fray Oishi's last nerves. The last half-hour had been spent (doubt that it was) listening to Oishi lecturing them on the risk of severely injuring themselves on day and to make sure they observe proper behavior protocols at school grounds.

"Okay, we are off." Said Oishi as he saw a pleasantly-smiling Fuji casting him a considering look.  
Kawamura was fidgeting self-consciously nearby. "Oishj, you wanted us to be here, so what is it that we are going to talk about?"

"As long as you guys behave, we can get down to business!" sighed Oishi.

Kikumaru practically threw himself directly at the vice-captain and attached himself with the entire length of his body towards the flustered boy's side. "We will behave, Oishi, now let's hurry this up because you promised me a date after this, Meow!"

"Eiji!" shouted Oishi as he tried to pry the red-haired acrobat off of him while Ryoma hunched his cap down towards his face to prevent himself from having redness sprawling all over his face. As for Fuji, he was chuckling like crazy while catching the room's attention. They all knew better to ignore the sadist when he was amused since the tensai has to be constantly watched in order to minimize casualties.

"This is about Tezuka's birthday, if I am not mistaken?" The tensai was cocking his head and many of the regulars visibly twitched at the motion. "I thought we agreed to have the party at Taka-san's restaurant?"

"Yes," nodded Oishi as he gave up on detaching a meowing kikumaru from him. "But I also wanted to address the matter of the gifts since we need to have someone deliver them to him in Germany. Also, I now that we all planned on contributing on getting our captain presents, but I think we should give him something as a group in order to show him team unity!" he said with earnest. Fuji didn't even have the heart to scoff at him since this was one of the best ideas that he could come up with.

"So we are going to get our captain a group gift?" asked Momo with a frown on his face. "Like what? I just bought him new footwear last year."

"Momo!" cried Kikumaru as he looked completely scandalized. "That's impersonal! I mean do you not know the meaning of "gift giving?"

"Those were good socks!" snapped Momo in a defensive way. "What did you get him, Eiji-sempai?"

"Stuffed panda bear and some stuffed-up puppets of Ryoma!"

Suddenly, silence met the proud declaration as Ryoma became flushed and flustered as he tried to make a mad dash to the exit, but Fuji somehow caught him by his uniform. Oisho was torn between exasperation and amusement at the memory of Tezuka's face with a teddy bear at his bedside. He could almost imagine the bespectacled teen spending a night with the youngest kohai of Seigaku because Fuki couldn't stop laughing for days afterward since that week had been made to let Tezuka suffer perpetual abuse in which students from Seishun Gakuen Senior high were absent due to the trauma going on between the remaining students and faculty members.

"Well, I practically gave him free meal coupons for Kawamura Sushi." Admitted Taka.

"A boxed collection of novel series from me to Tezuka." Added Oishi.

Kaidou was twitching like crazy as the room turned their attention towards him. Damn sharing of opinions from the others. "Fsssshh! Grip tape."

"HA!" exclaimed Momo as he pointed a triumphant finger at the junior in front of the room. "Grip tapes are much more impersonal than the socks I gave him!"

Oishi sighed. "Momo, that's not something to be proud about…"

"Grip tapes are much more useful than stupid socks, peach-butt!" spat Kaidoh.

"What did you say, mamushi? Tezuka-buchou has tons of grip tape stashed in his dorm room!" retorted Momo.

Luckily, Inui swooped in and placed his hands on both juniors before they could lunge at each other. As he pulled back the hissing junior, he adjusted his glasses and said, "I have compiled all the notes I have taken on Tezuka and gave them to him as a multi-volume set." After that silence, the whole room had shocked looks on their faces as some of them turned stone-faced while the others were frozen stiffm (which was more of like "Holy Shit, there is a freaky stalker in the room! There was more silence rather than the pure "What the fuck" silence that followed Kikumaru's announcement), he continued with his defense, "It came with a few videos on his performance as well."

This only increased the freaky-stalkerish aspect in the classroom.

"What did you get him, Ochibi?" asked Kikumaru.

"Ryoma pulled down the bridge of his hat. "A watch of course."

This answer just earned a nod from everone because ryoma refused to confess that he didn't get his buchou the actual arm implement because as the foolishly naïve blind-believing boy he was, he had listened to his mother and his cousin's advice as they stuffed all the money inside Fuji-sempai's wallet while giggiling the entire way through. He should have known that women were purely evil and that his sempai was a sadistic son of a bitch for taking his money without permission. Even worse, Ryuzaki-sensei was proof of that because who ever allowed the use of Inui juice during tennis practice was equal to the devil in Ryoma's mind. But no, he had tried to go shopping for their generiously-offered suggestion but instead, Fuji spotted him and took the money (much to the surprise of the salesgirl) and left Ryoma to corner his buchou after he finished his friendly tennis match with the sadist of Seigaku.

Flashback

Tezuka stated at the gift in his hands as the high school junior was frozen stiff as he as he realized at what the bucho was holding, much to Ryoma's confusion. The junior high senior had sincerely hoped that his captain won't be disappointed in seeing the younger boy not wrapping up the gift. Howeve,r the package that it came in looked fancy enough to pass the younger kohai's tastes.

"Buchou?" asked Ryoma after several minutes of silence passed and the older boy barely even blinked at him.

Tezuka was twitching before turning an alarming shade of red. Ryoma was staring at his captain with a horrified look on his face. I broke buchou's heart! Ryoma panicked as his golden eyes widened while Tezuka opened and closed his mouth several times without making a sound. That sadist Fuji will kill me!

"Echizen," Tezuka finally spoke as the redness from his skin lessened and turned back to pink. "Do you know what this is?"

Ryoma stared at the gift in the older boy's hand. "Its.. lubricant." It was actually green tea-scented lubricant because his captain happened to like green tea.

"Do you know what lubricant does?" asked Tezuke as he tightened his grip on the rnate package.

"I believe it softens the skin and relaxes the muscles." Ryoma answered dutifully. He always wondered why Tezuka's voice sounded so strange because his mother and Nanako had explained that to him since he had no idea of the item's usefulness to deal with dry skin and muscle strain, and he was marginally disappointed for not knowing sooner. But it does not matter now though since he also bought himself a grape-scented one.

Tezuka finally let his gaze to the younger maile and a frown came to his lips as Ryoma stared at his captain.

"Did Fuji put you up to this?"

Ryoma was taken aback by that expression. "What? If you mean he took my money and spent it, then yes." Did Fuji get Tezuka the same thing? Damn that Fuji!

Tezuka dragged in a long breath and the flush left his cheeks—much to Ryoma's relief. "Thank you for the gift, Echizen. I should probably email my friends to tell them thank you as well once those packages are delivered. As for momo, I really wish he could have given me something better instead of socks because I could seriously put something foul smelling in his shoes next time."

Ryoma could only eye his captain and said, "Un."

"Isn't anyone going to ask me what I got for Tezuka?" asked Fuji as he released Ryoma out of his traumatized reverie.

For the third time, there was silence in the classroom because no one wanted to know what the tensai had gotten their stoic buchou because if anything Fuji had enjoyed, it was to horrify and shock Tezuka. He had done the same thing to the other regulars because no one dared to admit it to him that he was equally frightening like Akutsu Jin was.

"So what are going to get for Tezuka Buchou, Oishi-sempai?" asked Momo as he laughed nervously. Fuji's mood was beginning to turn sour because they can easily tell despite the fact that the effeminate youth was still smiling while Ryoma was edging towards the exit.

Oishi was casting Fuji a worried glance before turning to face the others with a strained smile. "Well, I was thinking of a new tennis racket for him, but the captain has his eyes on the latest version of the go pro camera phone so..."

"Doesn't that thing cost 22000 yen?!" Momo cried out.

"As it turns out, that item just came out last weekend and the current price is at least 18000 yen." Stated Inui. "To cover tax as well, we should give up at least 3000 yen each."

Kawamura smiled brightly, "That's not too bad. I think I can scrape that up."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Now that that's settled," Fuji's smile was starting to become more blinding instead of looking at the sun. "Let's play a little game, shall we?"

Ryoma immediately hightailed it ot of them before the tensai could lock him in with the rest while screams of his friends echoed down the corridor as the kohai sprinted as fast as he could from the classroom.

"I knew it was a bad idea to let Fuji-sempai watch all those horror movies. I should not have let him take money away from me." Ryoma thought darkly to himself.

Yup, he was having a dilemma.

As Ryoma looked at the innocent, inanimate form of his empty wallet, he had a bubble of panic stirring inside of him. He wasn't anticipating about being broke even though he had won tennis tournaments. Hell, he could live on his own. But right now, all of his hard-earned money that was resting with his parents and his rights to spend had been viciously revoked last week after that "lifetime supply of ponta," fiasco as described by his mother. (It's a lie, the goods only lasted one week.)

At that moment, Ryoma could only frown at the slumbering form of his father on the couch since he didn't have much of an allowance anymore. However, he wasn't going to mope about it for very long because there was no way that he would ask his family since there could be a job that was available to him somewhere?

"How much, little lady?"

Ryoma was pretty bored as his eyes were glued to the television in half-hearted interest. He didn't often tune into the shows that his father always watched because they always hold dubious content since his mother warned him not to see the stuff that his father showed him. Besides didn't the old man in the show just offer the female protagonist cash? And for what reason? As Ryoma looked closer; the girl didn't appear to be doing anything but smiling at the older man that talked to her.

"Depends. If you want to spend a night with little me,I can give you a deal." She said while smirking. "Ten thousand yen, you can have me all night. I will do whatever you want."

Ryoma blinked at that as the old man agreed.

"All night? What would they do at night?" Wondered Ryoma. He couldn't imagine doing anything except playing late night tennis and sleeping. However, the show on television had given him an idea because he knows that someone would really pay that much money just to have someone keep them company for the night, but who would do that?

Every tennis player in Japan would be able to do something like this, but who did he know would have plenty of money and would be willing to spend it willy-nilly?.. Ah yes, his boyfriend from Hyoutei

Oshitari was creepier than Fuji so he was eliminated immediately. Gakuto was too much like Kikumaru so Ryoma cannot survive a night with him. Kabaji wouldn't give two shits about the freshman. Shishido was a stingy fella that wouldn't even dare to cheat on Ohtori. As for his doubles partner, well he wouldn't go anywhere without Shishido, and finally, Hiyoshi would get all "gekokujyou" and kill him inhis sleep or so. However, Ryoma has a greater tolerance with Jirou, but the chances of him would be sleeping and wouldn't listen to his offer. All that leaves now is…. Atobe.

The Seigaku freshman was twitching like mad. Could he really stand a night with Atobe? Sure that old male was an egotistical, flashy, nutcase; then again, he was a really good tennis player. And he was surely rich enough to pay Ryoma to keep him company. Besides, the others would just piece together that Ryoma just needed some money to get Tezuka a present aside from him being a narcissistic freak, he was still generous enough to help out. Even if it means letting the leader of Hyoutei getting Tezuka a better present than all those plebians.

Once Ryoma had regained his confidence, he would pay a visit to Hyoutei academy High School tomorrow after school.

The campus of Hyoutei was ridiculously large and ornately done as Ryoma had expected. After he followed the directions from a sign done Venetian-style, he didn't have any problems entering the Hyoutei's tennis courts since it was pretty late in the day because Ryoma had ventured off on his own afternoon practice without being pestered by his annoying teammates. Furthermore, Coach Sakaki ;eft his team to do extra practice before they head home since they need that extra training.

Once Ryoma entered the tennis courts, it didn't take long for Gakuto to spot him and immediately point his boyfriend out. Atobe turned around with a smirk on his lips as he strode over the Seigaku freshman with self-praise from his lips.

"So have you finally decided to leave Seigaku and join Hyoutei, gaki? It was an inevitable decision for you ahn? Of course; no one can deny ore-sama's glorious aura for long! Were you really that awed by my prowess that you decided to leave Tezuka's side? We don't blame you, as I am good among men-

"Hold that thought please, Keigo. I want to spend a night with you since we belong together."

Atobe's drivel immediately came to a stop, even the hyoutei regulars were shocked and gobsmacked as they stared at the tennis prodigy. But Ryoma didn't seem to notice.

"Excuse me? Did you just say you want to spend a night with me?" Atobe echoed, still in the throes of horrible shock.

"yes, you heard me right." Ryoma reiterated irritably. Did the Monkey King understand what Ryoma was proposing to him? That girl in the anime said ten-thousand yen and you can have me all night. I'll do whatever you want." He was going to add reason, but Atobe and that reason had been estranged since birth and Ryoma was not about to lose this battle.

Oshitari was the first to recover and snorted with a smirk. "Now, Echizen-kun, you are worth far more than a paltry ten-thousand yen, ask for a million yen."

Choutarou immediately whipped around to look at his tensai with a horrified look, "Oshitari-sempai! Buchou can't really be serious about spending a night with Echizen!"

"Well, Echizen is obsessed with our captain and he did ask him nicely. So this would be like Atobe deflowering an innocent maiden…." Oshitari trailed off suggestively.

"Let me get this straight, you are short on cash because Fuji-sempai has held your money hostage until you meet his demands? Oh no! Not today! Only Ore-sama can make the demands around here, not Fuji! Now then, I have a task to leave for my servants!" he snapped. Then he turned his eyes towards the freshman once again and said, "Brat, do you even know what you are asking ore-sama?

"Yes, I do. I want to spend the night with you so we can have a lovely evening together with dinner and a comfortable sleepy night. Besides, this is an actual date between us sexy men, isn't it?" snapped Ryoma.

Atobe immediately raised an eyebrow while the others laughed like crazy. Even Shishido and Gakuto couldn't contain their excitement for very long. "And kami pray tell, what exactly would you and ore-sama would be doing during our time together?"

Ryoma eyed him warily, "I don't know, play tennis? And afterwards, we could spend our night alone together in your room and play catch-up since we missed out on that. You know you want me, don't you? Like I said, I don't need some sadist from Seigaku to pressure me. I have my own reasons to find love and tonight's the night that will happen."

Gakuto could only choke out a laugh. "Damn! Those two definitely got balls all right."

"Gakuto-sempai! So inappropriate!" Whined Ohtori

Shishido could only snort as he has no idea what that brat had just offered their egotistical captain. "What do you want the money for?" he asked before glancing at a smirking atobe. "Because I think you just risked your chastity by asking Atobe out."

"Tezuka-buchou's birthday is soon and he is leaving for Germany." Said Ryoma. "And my what?"

Atobe immediately snapped his fingers before Shishido could respond, prompting kabaji to drag the struggling senior off. As Ohtori followed worriedly, he casted his glances back at the group before leaving the tennis courts.

"Never mind him," Atobe dismissed imperially. "Since you got such noble cause, I will be more than happy to help you. Of course my good friend Oshitari has a point; I will definitely buy you for 45000 yen tonight."

Ryoma eyed him suspiciously. "Really? Just to spend a night with you?"

Atobe smiled charmingly, "For the night you and ore-sama shall share together!" chuckled the captain.

Ryoma smiled evilly and thought, "This is the payback for you, Fuji-sempai, and soon you will see that I am the better game player!"

"It has come to ore-sama's attention," Atobe stated grandly while posing on a small theater-like stage with the dual lights shining down on him. The surround-sound system was humming out a grandiose melody as the diva spoke, and Ryoma found himself feeling utterly disgusted and impressed at the same time. Who really comes up with things like this? "That you, Echizen Ryoma, have been denied one of the most vital part of your education. As such, I will be your new instructor."

Ryoma could only stare at the older boy in dubious belief.

"You're going to lecture me all night?" asked the bewildered freshman.

Atobe was chuckling, "Of course not. Ore-sama is a hands-on instructor."

Ryoma could only smile at him as the night goes on without a hitch

By the next morning, practice began as usual while Kaidoh and momo were aggravating each other with their mere presence. Kikumaru and Fuji were laughing quietly themselves as they discussed something, probably some diabolical plan involving fish and bombs in whispers. As for Kawamura, he was running around the courts with screams of heavily-accented English that made no sense. And Oishi was trying to calm everyone down before Tezuka arrived for his final day of school. In fact, the only person present was Ryoma as he sat down on a bench watching aimlessly into the sky. If the others were not so regular they might have noticed their rookie's inattention, and they were so used to Ryoma trying to stay out of their way too,

"Tezuka!" cried Oishi with a sounding of relief and horror.

Everyone immediately turned their attention to Tezuka (sans Ryoma, who was pulled upright by a frantic momo) and tried not to look too guilty with the exception of Fuji. He was still smiling serenely as he calmly ended his convo with Kikumaru with –"And that was what the escape car was for" since Oishi didn't want to pay bail.

"Buchou, your racket…"

Tezuka glanced down at the item while his displeasure at finding them not training has somehow alleviated somewhat by the gazes that his new racket was drawing. "Ah yes about that, my grandfather bought it for me as an early birthday present since he said I will need it when I get to Germany."

He was sent into confusion at the crestfallen looks from the other regulars.

"That's what we were supposed to get you!" Whined Kikumaru loudly while stamping his foot

"I'm so sorry, I didn't realize that you were going to get that for me." Tezuka apologized with mild concern while Fuji was sulking like crazy.

"I had to ask for an advance on my allowance for two weeks. I can't even buy burgers anymore!" grumbled Momo.

Kaidoh hissed. "Shut up, peach idiot, no one wants to hear your whining."

"What did you say, Mamushi?!"

"I will need to harvest some ingredients myself for the next few weeks since the money I used was supposed to be for my juices." Said Inui.

"I had to borrow money from my sisters!" added kikumaru

"I asked my parents, so I will need to pull double duity at the restaurant."

"Saa.. I just found my money in my wallet and I had to keep echizen's money in here for safekeeping."

The others casted him fearful looks.

Kikumaru was like, "You didn't leave a corpse behind, did you?" before being drowned out by Oishi's admission that he used the money he regularly donated to charity in order to buy a gift.

Momo was glaring at the seigaku freshman, "I bet you used your earnings from the tournaments you won, eh, Echizen?"

Ryoma just shook his head. "nope, Kaasan said I cannot touch my winnings for the next few weeks. " he then paused and glanced at Fuji before resuming looking at the sky with an airy expression. "I decided to spend the night with my boyfriend Atobe instead since this sadist in front of you (pointing at Fuji) had pranked me yet again. But I got him back good this time."

This was met with complete silence and everyone was frozen stiff.

"You did what?" Fuji cut through icily.

"I said I slept with Atobe last night and he gave me a good education on what love really means. Besides, I am not going to waste money because I rather save it until my next birthday. But still, I had only spent 500 yen on a health guidebook for Tezuka since he needs it for his physical therapy in Germany."

"You brat! Did you really sleep with that narcissist from Hyoutei? What the hell? Did you lose your virginity?" snapped Momo as he wrapped his hand around Echizen's neck.

"Ochibi! What made you go and do such a thing? Did you really spoil yourself with that man last night? I hope Oshitari-sempai videotaped the whole thing." Smiled Kikumaru as he hugged Ryoma.

"Kikumaru-sempai, you are heavy!" said Ochibi as he tried to breathe. Once he was let go, Ryoma paused to take a deep breath before continuing his speech. "Yes, I did sleep with him because he has showed me some ways to dethrone Fuji and his sadistic tactics. And I won in the end because I was just lucky. And no, momo, I did not lose my virginity. What is it with you people and my sex life? Besides, I think Tezuka will definitely enjoy the book." Said Ryoma as he handed the present to Tezuka.

"Thank you Ryoma for the present, thank you all! I will cherish these for the rest of my life. Now then, let's get back to practice, or do you want me to assign you wimps 100 laps?" said Tezuka.

Everyone immediately left the clubroom immediately and returned back to the practice field with Fuji following them close behind before he winked back at Echizen, "Well played, little squirt. Looks like I will have to try harder to keep up with you." He thought to himself.

Tezuka then turned his attention towards Ryoma and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder before talking. "don't mind Fuji-sempai. I am sure he didn't mean to do that to you."

"No worries, buchou. I had to do this because I didn't want you guys to worry about me. Besides, I can easily win everyone's hearts no matter who they are." Said Ryoma.

Tezuka blinked his eyes for a moment and smirked at him before ushering him onto the tennis courts to begin his intense training for the rest of the day.

Back at the Hyoutei tennis courts, Atobe was busy watching the whole thing on his phone and smirked, "Well done, gaki! You really have matured at your age. Now, I think you are ready for real love." He thought to himself while Oshitari observed from outside sulking grimly.

"That's not fair, Atobe! I wanted to have some relationship with that brat as well." He thought sadly.

To be continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I left off some crucial points for a reason because I didn't want to keep you all in suspense. Bu the way, did anyone catch Atobe listening to Bon Jovi? XDD This fiction shouldn't be too long because the next chapter will cover the conclusion and there will be other chapters later on. It should have the confrontation between Atobe and his club members. How do you think Hyoutei will react? What will Rikkaidai think when they see the video? And what happened to Shishido? How will Tezuka use his presents?
> 
> Please read and review.


	39. Tezuka's Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teacher: Who has all the rights to Prince of Tennis?
> 
> Students: Konomi –Sensei of ocurse! The Person writing this will not own the series whatsoever!

As the intense training begins to wind down, Tezuka finished up the rest of the day writing down the data that he needed for his own rigorous training in Germany while the three freshmen focused on cleaning the tennis courts. Once that was done, everyone left for the day except for Ryoma since he still had a few questions for the captain himself since he was still wondering if his feelings for his buchou might affect his boyfriend later on.

"tezuka-Buchou, I need to talk to you." Said Ryoma.

But Tezuka didn't hear him as he headed into the clubroom to change for the day while Ryoma followed him inside.

"Mitsu-chan, did you hear me?" asked Ryoma as he tugged at his captain's jersey. But the captain was too focused on changing he didn't even hear him. After a while, the captain readjusted his glasses before placing everything in his tennis bag and walked outside without saying a word.

As Ryoma looked back at his captain, he wasn't sure why he was getting the silent treatment and decided to follow the stoic Seigakuan veteran outside. He was not going to take no for an answer and he will not rest until the captain confesses his feelings for him. Just then, he notices Eiji and Momo eyeing Ryoma from behind.

"What are you doing, ochibi?" asked Eiji.

Ryoma was shocked as he huddled into a corner and said, "Kikumaru-sempai, don't sneak up on me like that! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Gomen, Gomen, Ochibi. But why were you stalking Tezuka anyway?"

"Like you haven't heard? I want Buchou to confess his feelings for me!" protested Ryoma.

Eiji and Momo looked at each other for a moment and giggled like crazy.

"What's so funny?" asked a confused Ryoma.

"You want Tezuka to confess his love for you? No way! Tezuka only sees you as a sempai to kohai relationship. Did you really think he would fall for a little brat like you?" laughed Momo.

"I thought for sure that he would be my second boyfriend since Atobe clearly to me that himself. Sure, he also has feelings for my Buchou, but it's like having two buchous to tell me how they really feel about me in general. I won't rest until I hear it from the captain himself." Said Ryoma.

"So you are stalking Tezuka until he gives you an answer? There is no way that will work. Do you seriously have a crush on Buchou or something? Because from the looks of it, you are gay for our captain, aren't you?" teased Momo as he gently poked Echizen's face with his fingers.

"Cut it out, you guys! This is tezuka we are talking about here! Sure he may have been old friends with Atobe and they developed a rivalry with each other. But I can't really tell which one of them really loves me. So, I have to go to Tezuka's house and shake it out of him if I have to!" said Ryoma as he quickly dashed out of the clubroom with his school uniform. As the three freshman, along with Momo and Eiji watched, they wondered if echizen is really serious about this love life he has for the captain.

That night, as Ryoma walked back home to eat his dinner and feeding the cat his food as usual. His father and mother were busy watching something on the television to help him. Just then, his phone rang and when he checked it, it was Tezuka.

"Hello, Tezuka, I have been waiting to hear from you since you left the clubhouse." Said Ryoma.

"Sorry about before, I was too focused on prepping for my trip to Germany that I didn't even see you in the room. I guess my mind was somewhere else." Replied Tezuka.

"No, its… it's fine. But I want an honest answer out of you: Do you really love me?" asked Ryoma.

Tezuka's eyes widened at that question as he regained his composure. "Excuse me?"

"Don't make me repeat it. You love me don't you? You just can't seem to confess your feelings for me ever since you and I first met each other. You wanted me to a pillar of seigaku and I have followed through on your request. Now then, I want to hear you telling me, do you really have feelings for me?" said Ryoma.

"You and I have a Sempai to Kohai relationship. You are like a little brother to me, but I cannot confess my love to you. Sure we might have spent a night together, but that was not a date. Trust me, you and I will just have to remain as friends." Finished tezuka.

"But… I thought you and I had a thing for each other. I thought we were meant to be together." Said Ryomaas he choked back a sob.

"I'm sorry to have to do this to you Ryoma, but I cannot confess my love for you, I hope you can understand. If there is nothing else, I'm hanging up." Finished Tezuka.

"So that whole relationship thing didn't matter to you? It was all a joke? What is wrong with you, Buchou? Don't you care about me!?" yelled Ryoma.

"I do care about you Ryoma and yes I do treat you like family, but right now, we can't be in a relationship together because I am not ready for it yet." Finished Tezuka as he hung up the phone.

As Ryoma looked back at his phone, he was nearly ready to break it while muttering, "Damn you, Tezuka-buchou! I thought you and I had a thing going together and now you just dump me? How dare you! Do you really hate me, or do you just not care about your true feelings towards me? Why do you shoot me down like this? Is it because you are seeing someone else?"

He then returned to the living room and sat down in between his parents and said, "Buchou's such a traitor! He can't seem to show his true feelings for me. Am I being dumped by him?"

"What's this? Your heart has been torn apart by tezuka? Ah, seishounen! You need to try harder! Remember how your mother and I met? It was a day that I would never forget. Besides, I had a tough time convincing Rinko to fall for me since she is far too busy with her work in America. However, your buchou is going through some tough times right now, so he just needs time to process it all. I am sure you will find love in due time." Said Nanjiro.

"He's right, dear. I am sure Tezuka didn't mean what he said on the phone. His mind is way too focused on other things right now so give him time. I know that other boy from Hyoutei is also after you since you seemed to be in a relationship with him." Agreed Rinko.

"Oh, I understand that, but what will it take for Tezuka to finally stop hiding his emotions and just tell me directly? He can't just hide it forever. I guess Momo and Eiji were right, maybe I am just better off pushing up daisies right now. What am I going to tell Atobe?" asked Ryoma.

"Atobe could probably understand your frustration right now. If you tell him about what Tezuka said to you on the phone, I am sure he can help you with your issues, trust me. You do love him, don't you?" continued Rinko

"I do, but it's hard for either of us to actually say it out loud to each other since we cannot meet in person because he is halfway around the world training like a maniac. Now, Tezuka-buchou is denying every having a relationship with me because he cares only about tennis and just wants to keep this as a friendship bond between us? I wanted this to be more than just a friendship between us and now he just doesn't want to tell me why. How would Atobe feel about this?" said Ryoma while crossing his arms.

"We know, brat! Just tell him the truth and he will definitely set Tezuka straight. But either way, you don't have to worry about starting a relationship with your own captain straight away. I am sure he has some difficulties of his own right now that he must deal with. So therefore, you shouldn't trouble yourself over this. Besides, don't get upset over one lost love." Said his mother while resting her hands on Ryoma's back.

Ryoma looked at them for a moment and smiled, "Thanks guys. I think I might just have just the plan to get Fuji away from Atobe since he was probably the one behind this."

"What does the tensai of Seigaku have to do with any of this?" asked nanjiroh.

"He is the ringleader and a sadist. He will always try to stop me from having to date anyone else on my team because I can smell he is up to something no good. I'm not holding any ill will towards Fuji but this is going too far. I am sure he is planning to meet Atobe at some café tomorrow to tell his side of the story and it's probably not going to be good. Therefore, I need to be there to stop him before he tries anything funny." Replied Ryoma.

"Are you sure? Because Fuji might try to punish you with one of Inui's juices at practice if you try this stunt." Stated Nanjiroh.

"I have suffered under Inui's crappy juices for a long time and I know what it feels like, but Fuji didn't even feel a thing when he got offered the drink. Sometimes, even I wonder why that tensai's body did not suffer any issues." Said Ryoma.

"Well, maybe his body is immune from Inui's vegetable ingredients. Therefore, no matter how sadistic Fuji might be, you have no other choice than to respect his decision, seishounen." Replied nanjiroh.

Ryoma could only sigh in disbelief at the advice that his family gave to him. He was worried that Atobe could easily chew him out if he heard that Tezuka wasn't serious about having a relationship with the short kid. Besides, even Atobe's friends knows what he is really up to and there is nothing that can escape from Oshitari's eyes. Furthermore, Fuji will always be there to ruin a relationship even if it's for Ryoma's own good since all his hopes at getting Tezuka as a lover dashed.

The next day, practice went on as usual for Seigaku after Tezuka left for Germany. And Oishi seems to be handling his duties pretty well since he was well prepared to become Captain. But over in the corner, Ryoma was still feeling depressed after what happened last night and decided that this would be his chance to have a serious talk with Atobe.

"Stupid sadist fuji, with his sadistic smirk and his evil plans!" Ryoma was directing his rage on the tennis balls in the cart. He was almost certain that he wouldn't win the heart of his buchou unless he can get Fuji off his back.

And once again, it was all Fuji's fault to begin with since he always had to get on his kohai's bad side and ruin his chances of finding love. But Ryoma and Atobe are still doing what they did every weekend: playing tennis, went for walks, and stopped at coffee shops before heading to his house since his parents are never home on weekends.

Only this time after practice, Ryoma could see Fuji at the coffee shop since he knows that keigo would be here on a weekly basis. At that moment, Ryoma wanted to strangle Fuji, but he couldn't find it in his heart to do so. But the sadist will feel his kohai's wrath one way or another.

As Atobe arrived, he congratulated Fuji for organizing a splendid birthday party and the picture published on a magazine. Ryoma felt happy for his sempai, but he was still upset at what Fuji did to him.

Atob bought a bunch of roses and handed them to Fuji. His own Sempai!

After that, Ryoma pretended he got a text from his mother to tell him to get home. He couldn't care less what Fuji and Atobe are actually doing, not one bit.

"Oi, seishounen! Your weird friend with his inflated ego is here! Tell him you are going to the movie!" his father yelled from below.

"Tell him I'm busy at the moment!" Completely true, he just shredded his paper.

"Tell him yourself! I will be sending him upstairs!"

Ryoma wanted to yell at his father not to send weird people up to his room because it would not do him any good. Instead, he decided to hide the evidence of his emotional turmoil without letting Atobe know what it was. Once the King entered Ryoma's room without knocking, Ryoma was certain that he'd be taught some manners.

Atobe always had that smirk on his face but it only had affected Ryoma's change. Although it did piss him off to no end, it started to turn him on, but it was only going to make him even madder.

"Ryo-chan," smiled Atobe as he closed the door behind him while leaning on it. Once Ryoma herd the click, he realized that his lover locked the door like he always did.

"Monkey King, I told you not to call me that."

"Likewise." Answered Atobe as he strolled across the room and gave Ryoma a hello kiss.

Ryoma whirled his chair around to let the kiss land on the back of his head.

Atobe was confused for a while but he shrugged it off since someone else would have been suspicious about his behavior, But Ryoma was acting like this all the time.

"So, you were still sulking last night after what happened with Tezuka? I am surprised at you. Usually you would have won your buchou's heart right about now by the time I got here." Atobe said as he draped his arms around Ryoma and leaning his chin on top of the boy's head to comfort him.

"Don't we see each other on Saturdays?" asked Ryoma as he tried to ignore Atobe's presence, but he found it difficult to do even after the end of his first year of middle school.

"you left early, remember that?" whispered Atobe while caressing Ryoma's hair.

"So? You could have knocked before entering." Replied Ryoma as he took Atobe's wrist and gently removing it, but he somehow ended up caressing his hand while gently leaning on Atobe's chest.

"I didn't have enough of you, Ryo-chan."

"Are you kidding me!? We can't do this here!" yelped Ryoma as he came face to face with the leader of Hyotei.

"Why not, I locked the door so that we can have some privacy together." Ryoma would have definitely given him a piece of his mind and a million good reasons if he didn't pull him off the chair and onto the floor. "Besides, this isn't the first time that we did this."

"Che! Mada Made Dane." Commented Ryoma before he proceeded to Kiss Atobe breathless.

He was still mad that he didn't get a chance to stop Fuji from dismantling this love relationship between Ryoma and Tezuka. But he was more than furious.

Atobe didn't seem to have any rights to give the roses to Fuji since if it should be anyone, it should be Ryoma. Not that he wanted them anyway, but why from the Monkey King?

Fuji apparently plans to give the roses to his other sadist friend, Yukimura.

Ryoma elbowed Atobe in the shoulder, getting an 'ugh" out of him since it made him feel a little better.

"What the hell was that for?" protested Atobe.

"Why the hell were you flirting with Fuji, eh? Were you planning to date him and cheat on me?" answered Ryoma while still snuggling onto Atobe's chest while he twirled his fingers on Ryoma's hair.

"If you must know, I am not fliriting with Fuji. My love with you will never disappear since I care about you. The only reason why I gave those flowers to Fuji is because Yukimura's garden has lost some Hydrangeas due to overexposure in the sun. Did you really think I would cheat on you?" replied Atobe.

"Oh, why didn't you tell me earlier?" said Ryoma indignantly.

"You never asked. Now then, what seems to be troubling you?" finished Atobe.

Ryoma moved to rest his head on Atobe's shoulder, and he encircled him with his arms, pulling him in tighter. Ryoma closed his eyes and returned the embrace and placed his hand on the side of Atobe's neck since this was the sort of position that he likes the most. In the months that they;d been together, Ryoma was growing attached to Atobe and even going far as to say he liked atobe, but he wasn't ready to tell him that, not when he wasn't even sure if this is what he wants.

If atobe flirted with Fuji, he wasn't really serious about Ryoma and that was fine. But Ryoma doesn't care since Atobe could easily attract other boys and girls for all he cared.

"Ryoma, tell me what is going on between you and tezuka before you choke me!" declared Atobe in a strangled voice.

"gomen, Atobe. Well, Tezuka tells me that he is not ready to have a relationship with me, and he didn't even say he would love me." Said Ryoma sadly.

"NANI!? After all this time, Tezuka didn't even show his feelings for you? He didn't even show a bit of emotion at all!?" yelled Atobe.

"Nope, he said to me on the phone that he is not ready to start a relationship with me, even after me and my buddies went through all that trouble giving him birthday presents right before he left for Germany. Talk about selfish."

"Such impudence! How dare he not show feelings for you! Why, I'll have him know that young boys llke you needs to be respected more. I really need to have a talk with Tezuka on the phone later to talk some sense into him. We cannot let Tezuka get away with something like this for eternity." Said Atobe furiously.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You guys both have developed rivalries for each other and now you are certain you can change his mind?" asked Ryoma.

"Of course! Ore-sama will make damn good sure that Tezuka-kun listens to me. Because there is no way that he can avoid me!" smiled Atobe. "And you, make sure you stop by the coffee shop tomorrow afternoon because I need to meet up with fuji again since this is important. Don't be late."

"Che! Whatever." Huffed Ryoma.

And with that Atobe left Ryoma's house to prepare for the meeting with his classmates.

Back at his house, Oshitari and the others observed the marks that were on Atobe's neck and said, "Interesting marks you have there, Atobe." They were sitting in the back of the auditorium attending a lecture on economics since they found that course to be tedious.

Atobe touched the bruises on his neck and went without saying; he also noticed a bruise on his shoulder when he looked in the mirror. To be honest, Atobe wasn't pleased at all when he saw those marks. This was going to be a flaw in his perfect complexion since no amounts of coaxing would make Ryoma tell him what went through his mind when he assaulted atobe like that.

"What happened, did you irritate Sanada again, causing him to snap?"

"No, it wasn't Sanada. It was Ryoma." Said Atobe without turning around.

"Why, what did he do to make you look like this?" smiled Oshitari. This was not going to promise anyone good things.

"Well, Ryoma was upset that tezuka broke up with him and he was not taking it quite well either. I had a little talk with him at his house and he was certain about who the culprit was. Besides, I have a plan of my own that I wanted to use on Fuji to make sure he can change Tezuka's mind. And what do you mean, I irritated Sanada?"

"Well, you've been hanging around with him a lot lately. And each time you talk about him, he will pop a vein. This morning I actually saw him running away from you.

"Really? I didn't notice." Smiled Atobe at the thought of Sanada running away from him.

"I know. you were too busy admiring yourself at your reflection in the window." Oshitari was not hiding his amused tone for nothing.

"What else could I do? The light is just perfect because it framed my beautiful form perfectly." Atobe flipped his hair while thinking that he'd distracted oshitari from the previous conversation subject.

"you haven't been to the clubs for a while. Are you sure you haven't stopped seeing someome?"

"yes, I am."

"Who is this lucky person?"

Atobe's laugh echoed through the silent auditorium, causing everyone to look at him. Nothing could faze Atobe since he owned up to his reputation. Atobe then waved a hand at the lecturer as if he was giving him permission to continue speaking. The man was baffled and started talking again, not even noticing that he was taking an order from a student.

"My, my aren't we curious." Mused Atobe as he turned to look at Oshitari.

"You are not the sort of person to settle down, after all." Answered Oshitari. 'We are actually betting on who's the lucky guy. Tezuka is a big favorite. And so is Sanada since you are always around him lately."

"I wonder how he is taking that."

"Not all that well. I asked him this morning." Oshitari told him. "So, who is it?"

"I'm afraid that you have to find out for yourself after school." Said Atobe.

"we will be following you every step of the way."

"please do."

After school was over, the remaining members of hyotei were sent on the streets to investigate what their captain was really up to.

"You know, we are not kids anymore. And why the hell did you even drag me here?" complained Hiyoshias he was being yanked into hiding behind a parked car by an excited Jirou.

"Don't tell me you are not curious about who Atobe is seeing?" asked Mukahi. He was also crouching behind the car next to oshitari.

"Sure, but do we really have to spy on him? Couldn't we just, I dunno, ask Sanada or something?"

"he won't tell us anything. I already asked him." Said jirou

"But honestly, spying on our own captain? Aren't we a little too old for this?  
"You are never too old to learn new things." Answered Oshitari.

"Such a lame excuse." Scowled Hiyoshi

"You're free to go home anytime you want to." Said Mukahi

"I am not missing out on this!" yelled Hiyoshi.

The other three smirked at each other.

"look at that, Atobe has just gone inside that diner!" yelled Jirou as he started jumping up and down while pointing at the diner.

"You're going to spoil our cover!" said hiyoshi as he pulled Jirou back down from the older boy's collar.

"This isn't a military mission, Hiyoshi." Laughed Mukahi.

"Are you thinking of police stakeouts again, Gakuto? You really must stop watching cop movies." Oshitari told his friend.

"Damn it, they are too far! I can't see who he is sitting with!" shouted Hiyoshi.

"Here, use mine!" a pair of binoculars was produced in front of him. He tirned around to see Inui Sadaharu.

"What, are you still spying on people again/" asked Mukahi.

"Of course not, I am just gathering data from both players since that is for my personal use. I just brought it." Replied Inui.

"I'm still suspicious, but thanks." Said Mukahi while waiting for Hiyoshi to give him the binoculars. But he was getting to impatient and grabbed them from Hiyoshi. "My turn!" He lifted the item to his eyes and could see the image of Atobe laughing. He then turned the binoculars to see who Atobe's companion was and surprisingly, it was Fuji Syusuke.

"Looks like the smiling tensai of Seigaku has arrived." Oshitari spoke after he used the binoculars.

'Really? So my opponent from the Kanto tournament has arrived. Let me see!" He grabbed the binoculars from Oshitari before giving it back to Inui to put it in the box.

"Don't you want to look?" Oshitari asked him.

"I don't need to see them to know what is going on there." Said Inui as he adjusted his glasses. He then took out his phone and sent a message to the third year tensai. "This will be very interesting for Syusuke."

As Atobe sat down while facing Fuji, he fiddled around with the menu since the diner was not even his choice to begin with. He would have preferred a better meeting place that would suit his status. However, for some strange reason, Fuji insisted that this would suffice. Once the waitress came, Fuji immediately ordered, "Wasabi coffee."

"Ah, the usual then, Fuji-kun. And your friend?" asked the waitress.

"Plain coffee." Said Atobe as he quickly scanned through the menu. He finds that the place lacked many aspects, including design. The simplified pictures of elephants dancing had made him shudder. Were those monkeys with pink ribbons?

"You know, I chose this place in Tokyo because it was the only restaurant that had wasabi flavoured coffee." Said Fuji.

"Ryoma mentioned that you have so many unique tastes in food."

"Not many people share my taste, but you can hardly call my liking of wasabi coffee to be unique since they serve it here. Now then, let's cut to the chase, Kei-kun. Why did you wish to see me?"

"well, I've heard from Ryoma that Tezuka broke up with him after he left for Germany and Sanada keeps running away from me. I got no one left to confide in and I must speak to someone about Ryoma's dilemma." Sighed Atobe. "And since you already know about us and among those privy of our relationship, you seem so approachable."

"I can see why you are having problems. How can I help?" asked Fuji.

As Atobe was about to answer, the waitress came with their coffees. Atobe sniffed his own cup and feared that the waitress must have made a mistake. But when he smelled the bitterness of coffee, he took a sip of it and to his surprise, it was really good.

"It's nothing too specific, but I feel that Tezuka must have done something to upset him." Said Atobe while he fiddled with the cup.

"I see, well it's pretty obvious that Tezuka didn't even agree to having a relationship with Ryoma. I just hope you are not breaking up with him as well right? His heart was already broken by our Buchou previously." Repolied Fuji as the glint in his eyes made Atobe flinch.

"No, I care about him a lot really. But I don't know how can I make Ryoma feel any better."

"Why? Did something happen?"

"You could say that." Atobe remembered what Tezuka said on the phone a few days before

It was Saturday and not willing to wait any longer; Atobe picked ryoma up after his warm-up match in the street courts. After that small argument, Ryoma finally agreed to get into his car and he drove them to his house. There they spent the evening lounging on the couch watching TV while his faithful friends were busy playing cards upstairs.

Bored, Atobe had decided to make this night more interesting. They were in the midst of a kiss when Ryoma grabbed the remote and shoved Atobe out of the way so that he could increase the volume on the television. "- Nothing has been said about the young player Tezuka Kunimitsu, who had been involved in an accident previously. He has been making a name for himself these past few months since the injury on his hand will prevent him from playing for at least 2 months."

"Which hand, you idiots! You didn't say which hand he injured! Was it the right hand or the left one?!" yelled Ryoma.

"Calm down, I am sure it is not that serious. They said that he will make a full recovery in a few months." Said Atobe as he comforted Ryoma and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. However, Ryoma immediately got up and grabbed his cell phone from the living room and placing it at his ear.

"Damn that Kunimitsu! He is not answering." Ryoma ended the call afterwards.

"Who is not picking up?"

"Tezuka. He just hung up on me and refused to talk to me." Informed Ryoma without looking at him.

"How did you end up having Tezuka's number?" asked Atobe as he felt a surge of jealous coming to him. He was not comfortable with the former captain of Seigaku having a relationship with his boyfriend.

"I've had it ever since he travelled to Germany." Replied Ryoma before he dialed Inui's number. "Sempai, did you see the news? Do you know which hand tezuka hurt it? They didn't say." Ryoma listened for a while before banging his hand on the coffee table. "I don't give a fuck about your probabilities, Inui-sempai! If you don't know, you could have said to. Why are you so useless?" he then hangs up on his sempai and settled down on the couch again.

"I'm sure there will be news by tomorrow." Said Atobe.

"But I cannot wait that long. If Tezuka cannot confess his feelings for me, why did he even bother telling me he fell in love with me?" said ryoma. A few minutes later, Buchou picked up and Ryoma placed the phone in his ear. "Buchou? Thank goodness you called. They didn't say which hand you hurt."

"It's nothing serious, but like I told you before, I am really unable to show how I really feel about you. I can't really say if I am ready to make you a part of my family and I cannot confess my love for you. I'm sorry, Ryoma-kun but your love belongs to someone else and not me."

Once Ryoma heard those words, he was so upset that he wanted to snap his phone in half and fling it across the room.

"So basically, Tezuka seems to have his mind made up. There was nothing more you could have done for him." Stated Fuji.

"Well, I could never imagine seeing Ryoma being shot down like this, but I can see your point. How would you feel if your boyfriend rejected you and decided to watch television instead of spending time with you?"

"I can see the problem here, but I get it." Sid Fuji as he took a sip of his coffee. "You do realize that meeting me like this could be considered as an attempt to make him jealous."

Atobe laughed bitterly at the joke and said, "Me? Jealous of Ryoma? No way! I'm beginning to suspect that he wouldn't care if I humped everything with two legs."

"Oh, is that what the roses were for? I am feeling hurt here, Kei-kun." Replied Fuji.

Before Atobe could answer, Fuji took out his phone and read the message with a smile on his lips. "It seems that we got an audience watching us, Atobe."

"What do you mean, Fuji?"

"Well, don't look directly at it, but do you see that blue car across the street?"

As Atobe glanced at the car from the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar head of red hair jumping up and down and sighed, "This is so embarrassing. I told Oshitari that he was welcome to try and find out who I am dating, but I never knew that he would take it this far. And what exactly is mushroom head doing here? How the hell did they get him to go along with this? I swear to god that guy is always level headed."

"Well, if my information is correct, I can safely assume that your teammates are convinced that we are dating." Said Fuji.

"Those idiots." Snapped Atobe. "How the hell can oshitari get it wrong? I mean I practically told him to follow me on a Saturday." He was beginning to feel a bit uneasy with his teammates around while looking back at Fuji, who was staring at him with a wide-eyed expression.

Atobe needed to explain this, but decided to shrug it off. As for fuji, he could only shake his head in disbelief and laughed softly. "Well, I think I understand your motives for cheering Ryoma up, but I am not sure if he would like my advices. I can only tell Ryoma to stick with you since you're very close to him."

"Don't worry, I got it all taken care of. " Replied Atobe as he finished his coffee while grimacing at the aftertaste. "We might as tell them that they are mistaken. You coming, Fuji?"

"This is going to be entertaining." Answered Fuji as he followed Atobe from the diner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, looks like Tezuka really has made a fool out of Echizen the moment he went to Germany and I have a strange feeling that he won't change his mind anytime soon. How anyone like Tezuka could break his kohai's heart is just wrong, but I am glad to know that Ryoma has someone to comfort him in a desperate situation like this. Anyway in the next chapter, I will be letting Ryoma talk to the hyotei regulars because oshitari has a few interesting ideas about how to make the Seishounen happy again. I do believe that the love affair between Ryoma and Atobe will definitely continue in the coming chapters. See you all next time. Be sure to read and review.


	40. Ryoma, Are You A Stalker?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teacher: Who has all the rights to Prince of Tennis?
> 
> Students: Konomi–Sensei of ocurse! The Person writing this will not own the series whatsoever!

As Ryoma shouldered his tennis bag, he didn't bother saying goodbye to his father that he knew, was lounging by the temple's bell reading his crappy porn magazines. His mother and Nanako had left earlier to go shopping since there was a big sale going on. Before Ryoma leaves, he still had time to pet his karupin because his cat would never betray him or do something stupid like giving Fuji roses. Okay, so maybe he was a bit obsessed with the roses.

Once ryoma closed the gate and headed towards the park, he arrived at the tennis court, knowing full well that Atobe would be here. But he won't be here for a couple of hours so this gives Ryoma a chance to warm up, but he decided against it. Furthermore, Ryoma's stomach growled since he hasn't eaten anything this morning. So, to satisfy his hunger, Ryoma decided to buy a burger and opted to take it with him instead of eating it inside. He then began walking around while glancing through the shop windows while eating. He soon noticed that there was a diner that Fuji once took him to since this place served wasabi flavored coffee. Even Ryoma felt happy to take a sip of the coffee previously.

Just then, he noticed the four boys from Hyotei crouching behind the car whispering to each other while giggling. Ryoma then walked over a little further so that he could hear them, but decided to stay behind another car. Fortunately, it was a van and he didn't have to crouch.

"Can you believe this? Atobe is really dating fuji." Said hiyoshi, the one that Ryoma remembered defeating in junior high.

"There has to be an explanation for all of this." Thought Ryoma. That is the reason why he has stayed hidden behind the van since he does not want to eavesdrop.

"Those two lovebirds are coming out of the diner! And look they are holding hands!" What the hell?

There was no way that Atobe could get out of this one.

"They are coming this way! Quick, duck!" ordered Gakuto.

"We are crouching!" shouted Shishido.

"well crouch deeper!"

"What are you guys doing?" asked Ryoma as he approached behind them.

"Oh um…. Nothing!" said one of the boys nervously.

"Well, aren't you guys an idiotic sight." Ryoma immediately knew where that voice came from. "You lot wouldn't be following ore-sama now, wouldn't you?"

"Of course not, Atobe. Whatever gave you that idea?" asked Oshitari.

"The fact that you people are hiding behind a car gave me the hint, Oshitari." Answered Atobe.

"At least we know you are dating Fuji! Don't even try to deny it, Atobe!" yelled Gakuto while Ryoma stood behind his lover staring at the boy with the red haircut. He even wanted to get rid of his old hair style a few years ago and it was lucky that it wasn't cut in a different style. This time, it was not that fashionable.

"Let's leave your friends to their entertainment, Kei-kun." Said Fuji as his voice was filled with sweetness. Ryoma was planning to strangle his sempai. "How dare he call Atobe Kei-kun! I am the only person that has the right to give Keigo cute nicknames like monkey king." thought Ryoma angrily. He didn't know what Atobe had against those names.

"Yes, I still have other pressing matters to attend to and if I am late, I will be punished with laps." Said Fuji as he dashed off into the distance. Each time Ryoma called Atobe a monkey king, he would be seething with annoyance or answer to a horrible nickname invented for Ryoma. At this point, Ryoma was feeling numb all over his body and decided to take a seat at a nearby table to relax himself.

As the four boys stared after Atobe and Fuji, they could see that the two lovebirds were not holding hands anymore. But they are not really that accustomed to each other's company either. Neither of them is denying a relationship with each other. Furthermore, a car alarm went off behind them since Ryoma leaned on it for far too long.

"Ryoma, what are you doing here exactly?" asked Hiyoshi. The mushroom head once had a huge crush on the kid.

"Were you spying on us?" added Jirou.

"Maybe you also have a relationship with Fuji as well." Guessed Oshitari.

"That makes a lot of sense." Said Mukahi. "Now then, who wants ice cream?"

"I'll join you guys." Said Ryoma. "Besides, you guys were well aware about my love with your captain, right? So it's only fair that I get to spend more time with him while you guys are around at his house on the weekends."

They all looked at each other for a moment and shrugged in agreement.

That afternoon, Atobe welcomed Ryoma back to the locker room.

"You're late." Said Atobe

Ryoma looked at Atobe for a moment and sighed. "Barou! You are early like me." Answered Ryoma with an expressionless look on his face.

Atobe glanced at his wristwatch. "Ah yes, so I am. Still, you are usually here earlier than I am. You've be doing that an awful lot behind your own schedule. Is something the matter?"

"It's nothing really." Replied Ryoma as he tried to get his bag, but Atobe grabbed his shoulder.

"Don't lie to me, gaki! Tell me what's wrong or else I'll-" But Ryoma didn't even let him finish his sentence and started punching his boyfriend. Atobe staggered back a few steps and lifted his hand to see blood running down his face and flowing on his finger. Yep, his lip was cut.

"How dare you do that to ore-sama, you little bastard!" growled atobe. He then rushed towards Ryoma and pinned the young seigakuan against the lockers with his hand on the boy's neck. They soon glared at each other and Ryoma tried his best to pry Atobe's hand away from his throat while his other hand grabbed hold of the grey haired boy's hand and pinned it above the younger boy's head. After that was successful. Atobe stopped choking Ryoma and kissed him.

This wasn't some sort of a gentle kiss, it was an angry kiss. They boy continued their little love fest in the locker rooms for a while before Ryoma buried his head in the crook of Atobe's neck and bit hard.

"Must you really mar my skin? You insufferable little brat." Said an amused Atobe. He wasn't mad anymore and ryoma could see how much he really showed his caring side.

"Sorry, but when I saw you kissing Fuji, I thought you would be cheating on me, but now I know better. I just wish Fuji wasn't so full of himself." Said Ryoma.

"you could have stopped him sooner if you didn't hide so much." Replied Atobe while crossing his arms.

"Yeah, but Fuji wouldn't believe me, you know that. He would just brush it off like it was nothing." Continued Ryoma.

"Fuji is a sadist, we all know that. Anyway, you want to come by my house for the night?"

"I got nothing better to do anyway. Besides, I got time before I head to the airport to get Tezuka." Said Ryoma.

The next day…

As Ryoma woke up, he could hear the phone ring.

"moshi moshi" he could hear Ryoma answering the phone. "No, nothing really important. I was surprised that you were coming back today." Atobe woke up and sees Ryoma sleeping at his side on the bed. "Yes, I am coming, bye." Ryoma then placed the phone down on the table beside the bed and stood up, putting his clothes on since he didn't notice Atobe waking up.

Atobe glanced at the clock and realized that it wasn't seven yet since they only slept for a few hours.

After their game, both boys decided against going to the café and decided to go straight to Atobe's where they had a steamy sex session before falling asleep. Atobe had hoped that Ryoma would spend another night here, but it seems that would not happen.

"you were actually going to leave without saying goodbye?" asked Atobe.

"I was going to leave you a note telling you that I will be back later."

"A note? Phht! You are so unbelievable." Snorted Atobe.

"There is nothing wrong with leaving a note. I didn't want to wake you. You're always complaining of not getting enough sleep because of studying."

True enough, Atobe would have preferred saying goodbye to Ryoma personally instead of leaving a note and he knew Ryoma would know this. "Who are you going to see anyway?" asked atobe. "Whoever it is, please reschedule, I was hoping you'd stay for another few days."

"I wish I could stay, but buchou is coming back today and I have to meet him at the airport."

It's always about tezuka. "You are able to see hinm tomorrow right? I am sure he is pretty tired from the jet lag and that there are a lot of other people out there to greet him." Said Atobe.

"Sure, but since Inui-sempai and I are the only few people who knows that he is coming back today and we decided that only one of us can go and greet him since the rest of them are probably at the waiting area. Buchou does not like large crowds, you know that." Grumbled Ryom as he fidgeted with the door handle.

What about after you see Tezuka, you could come back right? My parents are out until Monday." Suggested Atobe.

Ryoma looked up and smiled at Atobe. Even the narcissist was taken aback by that look since it looked genuine. He returned the smile and was feeling happy. "I'll take that into consideration. Once I drop Tezuka off at his house, you will be sure to come by and get me with your limo. I will tell my dad that I will spend the night at your place because I need to give Tezuka some time to rest himself since he must be worn out from all that training."

Smiling happily, Atobe waved at Ryoma before going into the kitchen and getting himself some coffee. He needed to be awake when Ryoma returns. So what if he took that chocolate cake? It's not like he needed to watch his calories.

As Ryoma peered through the crowd looking for a familiar nest of brown hair and a stern face, the people walked around, bumping into him while another man with a large black bag whirled around, smacking Echizen in the chest. The boy staggered around and would have fallen, but luckily a strong arm steadied him. "You should be more careful, Echizen."

"Buchou! Oh god, how I missed you!" Ryoma greeted the older boy as he turned around and hugged him. Tezuka was unchanged except for the cast on his right arm and the sling supporting it. "Where is your luggage, I will get it for you."

"No need, I took care of that already." Answered Tezuka as he tried to lift his bag from the ground, but Ryoma managed to snag it from his grasp. Tezuka was about to argue that he could carry his own bag, but saw the determined look in the boy's eyes and decided to keep silent about the matter at hand. I'm surprised to see you here, I thought Inui would come to greet me and not you."

"Why wouldn't I come?"

"Ah yes that's right. Those other guys are pretty busy with their things and are not able to make it." Said Tezuka.

Recently, Tezuka and Ryoma are talking on the phone more often because Ryoma had to congratulate Tezuka on his difficult win. Since then, Ryoma had made it a point to call him after his every game no matter if he won or not. Tezuka found it nice to be able to talk to someone about his games after they were over. These guys had forged a strong friendship together and the kid was not his subordinate anymore.

Once the bus took them out of the airport, they arrived at tezuka's house. He then invited Ryoma in since his parents were on an extended holiday in southern Europe. They would call and find out that he was not severely injured and that his arm will heal in a few months. He then heard their voice on the answering machine telling hinm not to order in, but rather making food on his own. They also told him that they had taped the matches and that they can be found under the VCR. Yes they are worried about him, but they love their son dearly.

"So you are not fond of cooking, eh?" asked Ryoma.

"Are you hungry? I am sure there is something that you like to eat in our freezer. You know how my mother is with food these days." Said Tezuka.

"No thanks. I just ate at Keigo's place. There is a chance that he might want me to go back to his place since I cannot stay long. However, let's watch a few tapes since I might have missed a few of your games." Said Ryoma before dialing Atobe's number.

Tezuka agreed since he wanted a chance to analyze the games further and both of them settled down on the couch to watch the tapes. After over an hour and a half, he noticed the boy was falling asleep when the phone rang. He then walked over to Ryoma's body and picked up the phone.  
That boy must have had a long day. I should probably wake him up and take him back to Atobe's house. I'm sure his father is very worried. He thought to himself as he spoke on the phone.

"Moshi Moshi" said Tezuka.

"Ah, Kunimitsu, how wonderful to hear your voice again after a long time." Said the voice on the other line.

"Atobe, thank goodness you called. I was just about to fall asleep for a moment and then I realized that Ryoma went to sleep early. Looks like I should bring him back to his father's house. Anyway, should I bring him back to your place?"

"So ryoma has fallen asleep even after watching those tapes? Wow! And here I thought he would answer his phone, but it turns out his captain is doing his work. Anyway, how are things with you? Hope your recovery is going well."

"Pretty good so far. The doctors in Germany said no heavy tennis playing for a while. I guess I won't have to worry about training for a while since I need time for myself. Anyway, should I bring Ryoma out into your limo when you get here? Because I don't want to leave him here outside all by himself." Continued Tezuka.

"Ore-sama has that covered and will arrive at your place within 15-20 minutes. It's a shame that Ryoma didn't call me sooner to pick him up and I would have been in a state of panic to find out that he is with you." Said Atobe.

"Don't worry; me and Ryoma are not an item. It's already 11pm here and I should get some sleep. Anyway. I will see you here in 15 minutes." Said Tezuka as he hung up the phone.

As the tape came to an end, Tezuka immediately placed a blanket over Ryoma's body before taking the tape out of the VCR and putting it back into the case.

Back at Atobe's house, the rich boy grabbed the car keys and handed them off to the driver since he knows that Ryoma is at Tezuka's place. However, he knew that the boy had a thing for the captain of Seigaku, but Tezuka said that his only love life is tennis and not that kid. His mind was already conjuring up the images of the two with Ryoma breathing sensually 'buchou buchou!' over and over again. No one can blame Ryoma even if you heard him say the title over and over again. There was a fact that Atobe knew what the kid sounded like in bed and that the diva's overactive imagination and jealousy tells him that Ryoma was suffering from a nervous breakdown.

Before the diva headed out, he picked up his phone and dialed his subordinates' numbers since he had them on speed dial when it comes to Ryoma. "You guys wanted to know who ore-sama is dating, so get your asses over here, pronto!"

Oshitari and the others practically ran to the car as his father drove them towards the train station towards Atobe's house. Once there, the boys bought their tickets before settling in on the train for the journey after coming from a club earlier. Furthermore, Hiyoshi was still underaged and none have gotten a fake ID either.

"Tell us again why we are riding a train to Atobe's place when we know he is like 20 minutes away?" asked Mukahi.

"Atobe didn't want us to walk all the way there when we are dead tired. I am sure our parents didn't want us stuck in our own houses for very long. Now quit your whining please. Your screeching is hirting my ears.

"What did you say? Just because your boyfriend choutarou is out of town having a good time with his parents, doesn't give you the right to be mean to everyone you freaking hippie!" glared Mukahi at Shishido.

"I already shaved my hair so do I look like a hippie to you?" snapped Shishido.

"You certainly do." Replied Mukahi as he blew a raspberry at his teammate.

"Will you two cut it out already!?" shouted Hiyoshi.

Both of them quieted down and returned back to their seats without uttering a word. About 20 minutes later, the train arrived at the station and everyone left before heading outside. Once there, they could see the mansion at least 4 miles away from the station since it was not a long walk.

Elsewhere, Atobe's driver arrived at Tezuka's house and knocked on the door. Once Tezuka opened it, he could see Atobe waiting for him. Thinking quickly, Tezuka scooped Ryoma up and carried him outside and into the diva's limo. He knew the boy was heavy in weight when he was on the captain's back, but this was unexpected. Once Ryoma was in the limo, Tezuka walked over to Atobe and said, "Thanks for looking after my baby boy while I was away. I was hoping that he could just accept the fact that we will remain as friends and not lovers."

"Hey, no problems. Besides, that brat sure loves to keep me company even when his parents are busy with other things. Therefore, it is my responsibility to make sure that he is safe. Besides, you won't have to worry about being a burden or anything as long as I am around right? Therefore, you need to rest your arms and let me handle everything while you recover." Continued Atobe.

"Thanks, you are a great friend." Smiled Tezuka as he waved back at Atobe once the back car door was closed. "you have a good night."

"You too my friend, and now I need to deal with my own subordinates as well." Replied Atobe as got into the other side of the car and drove off. Tezuka then walked back into his house and closed the door behind him before retiring into bed for the night.

Back at the mansion, Jirou was jumping up and down after arriving at the mansion a few minutes later and was very hyperactive after the others found out about whom Atobe was dating. Who could have guessed that their captain's love life interested him so much? Not even oshitari would have stopped his teammates from containing their excitement as they showed up at the door.

Just then, the limo pulled into the driveway and into the garage of the mansion and the boys immediately went towards the front yard to see who it was. Once there, they could see that Atobe was helping to carry the sleepy brat inside the house without even looking back at Oshitari and the others.

"So the captain does seem to love that kid from Seigaku, but what is he doing here?" asked Hiyoshi

"Keigo chan seems to be infatuated with that gaki because he always wants him to spend more time with our diva as a captain, how is that not obvious?" said shishido.

"Keigo sure knows how to get the boy of his dreams." Mumbled Gakuto.

"Are you guys going to come in or just sitting outside all day?" called Atobe.

"Hey, you're the one that called all of us here, didn't you? We just wanted to know who your lucky charm is." Said Jirou.

"I don't recall inviting you guys here to my mansion, but if you wanted to know who I was fucking then, please come in and see for yourself." Continued Atobe as he turned around and went inside. But all the boys could see was the back of his brown haired head as they entered the mansion.

"I could have stopped them myself, but they were too eager to see your home again after a long week of practice. Anyway what the hell happened to your face and your neck? Did you have an abusive relationship again? I could sue Fuji for what he did." Said Oshitari.

"No, no need. Besides, Fuji is not at fault since he is not the lover I was looking for." Said Atobe.

"is fuji smacking you around again?" squealed Mukahi

"No! How could that sadist do something to our keigo-chan!" exclaimed Jirou as he came to his hero's defense.

"Will you idiots knock it off?" How many times do I need to remind you guys that I am not dating fuji!" screamed Atobe.

"Oh, but you haven't told us that even once. So I think we get it. But are you?" asked Oshitari

"No, you fools! I am not dating fuji."

"No, I mean did Fuji abuse you or anything?" Oshitari was genuinely worried for his friend. "Your lip seems to be injured along with those bite marks suggested that."

As Atobe felt the injuries around his neck on where Ryoma bit him, he noticed his hands were smeared with blood. The bite mark must not have been healed yet since he was still a bit panicky after that brat didn't answer his phone earlier. He was exasperating for a bit with his friends and wearing a white shirt at the same time. Luckily, it was a miracle that Jirou noticed it.

The only noise was a thump from the floor and Atobe looked over to see that Shishido had fainted. For a tough guy like him, it was embarrassing for him to see all that blood.

"Excuse me while I go and clean this up." Informed Atobe as he quickly went to the bathroom after putting Ryoma into bed. He then placed a bandage on it after applying some Neosporin on the cut. That should stop Shishido from fainting again.

Once Atobe sighed, he contemplated on his situation and yes it was reasonable to think that he was involved with someone who was 'smacking him around', as Mukahi had stated sooner. The bruises that Ryoma had left on his boyfriend's neck last week were still visible on his neck even if they did fade a little bit. Yes his lower lip was swollen too and the cut was still obvious to anyone that even glanced his way. Even Atobe wasn't sure if that cut would heal completely but he was glad to survive this ordeal.

Once Atobe tossed his shirt into the laundry basket, he walked into his room and went to get a fresh clean shirt from his closet. He didn't notice that his friend had migrated into his room until someone gasped behind his back. He turned around to look at the shock in their eyes seeing that brat on the bed.

"What is it now?" snapped Atobe.

"Either someone really has been torturing you, or you are having some really good love fest here over the last couple of weeks." Said Shishido.

"So, why is that brat in your bed? Are you fucking him?" asked Mukahi

"that was crass, Gakuto." Commented Oshitari.

"Well, this tells us straight to the point." Said Shishido as he snagged a grape from the bowl in the living room table, but he spit the thing out instantaneously. "What the fuck? These things are plastic!"

"Of course, why would my servants keep fresh fruit in the living room? Those things attract insects only." Snorted Atobe. "if you want fruits or other things, check the kitchen or order in."

"Yeah, go get us pizza!" ordered Mukahi.

"Like hell I will leave this room until I hear who Atobe is really dating!"

"You know we got neighbors, right?" said Atobe as he tried to get them to lower their voices.

"Yeah, they are only a few hundred yards away!" sneered Mukahi. 'You didn't answer the question. Now who is your secret boyfriend.

"He is hardly secret." Scoffed Atobe.

"Just tell us who it is already!" yelled Shishido.

"Fine!" screamed Atobe as he rose from his seat. But instead of answering, he paced around the room for a bit before taking his phone out and staring at it for a couple of seconds before muttering about how Sanada ditched him and then looking back at them. "Its Echizen Ryoma."

Then there was silence.

"Hah, I knew it! I knew you had a thing for that brat and you still cannot let go of him!" Shishido pointed at Atobe with a victorious grin. "I told you Oshitari, that boy is still fucking our captain but you didn't believe me. You guys owe me big time!"

"Fine, I'll pay you tomorrow." Grumbled Mukahi.

"Do you take checks?" asked Oshitari

"From anyone but you, sure." Answered Shishido with a grin.

Suddenly Jirou gave Shishido a stack of money before plopping himself on the couch and dozed off.

"You were betting on that kid all this time? And how did you all plebeians guess?" asked Atobe.

"Told you that you had a thing for that kid." Shrugged Shishido. "So what happened, trouble in paradise?"

"Ore-sama should be telling that to Oshitari and not the rest of you guys."

"Too bad! You got us, now deal with it. Spill it." Demanded Shishido.

"Weren't you guys going to order pizza?" asked Atobe.

"Yeah go get us some pizza you hippie!"

"Shut up Mukahi, you can see that I already lost my long hair. And you are just trying to change the subject!" Shishido accused Atobe. "Quit stalling and tell us why that brat is in your house."

"Well, your feigned sympathy is not convincing ore-sama at all." Said Atobe as he flipped his hair. "Ryoma was supposed to come here after picking Tezuka up from the airport, but he was an hour late. Luckily I had to pick him up from Tezuka's house after he didn't answer his phone. Even I was starting to worry for that brat but now, he is safe here with us."

"I am so sorry, Keigo-chan" said jirou as he woke up.

"What? Aren't you guys going to say I am overreacting and that there is nothing to worry about? What about how ridiculous I was for even thinking that Tezuka and that brat had a thing for each other!?"

"You are joking right?" Sneered Shishido. "Did you hear how that kid calls him Buchou? I swear, he sounds kinkier than Mukahi.

"That's insulting. But the former hippie is right, that brat does have a thing for Tezuka." Said Mukahi as he trailed off.

"And don't get me started on Tezuka! That whole pillar thing is a scam!" waved Shishido

"Yeah he is just trying to get on the brat's nerves and his pants too. Ne, Yuushi, let's get pizza."

Atobe sighed. There was no way that his friends should even talk like that about Tezuka, but he eventually caved and decided not to pursue that matter any further as he walked back to his room before falling asleep. This time, Oshitari placed a blanket over the brat before kissing him on the forehead and ruffling the locks of his raven hair. After Oshitari left the room, he was wondering if Ryoma really has forgotten about his love for Tezuka. Sure, Oshitari was the best at giving advices, but he should have a long talk with Atobe and Ryoma in the morning after their night together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Please Read and review! tell me how well I did on this chapter.


	41. Boyfriend Cuddles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teacher: Who has all the rights to Prince of Tennis?
> 
> Students: Konomi –Sensei of ocurse! The Person writing this will not own the series whatsoever!

As Ryoma cuddled closer to the warmth emanating from his companion, he was yawning and grabbed Atobe's shirt. The fabric was definitely coarse. Strange, he would always imagine that keigo was asleep in silky pajamas.

Once Ryoma's eyes snapped open, he could see Keigo was right next to Ryoma holding onto his shoulder. "Shit! Where the hell am i?" he then looked up and saw the sleeping face of his boyfriend, but it turns out to be his captain. Furthermore, he noticed that Tezuka's left arm was curling around him and Ryoma was being pressed against his captain and the back of the futon. How they managed to get into that position during the night was anyone's guess since Ryoma was certain that they were sitting side by side when he was falling asleep.

He also tried to get up, but Tezuka only pulled him tighter towards himself. As Ryoma started wriggling to set himself free, Tezuma somehow took Ryoma's hand pressed it against his neck. This time, Ryoma slowly pulled his hand back and formed a fist before he punched buchou onto the shoulder. The older boy didn't even flinch or move. "Buchou! Do you mind waking up!?" yelled Ryoma in frustration

With a sudden inspiration, Ryoma slowly lifted his hand towards Tezuka's face and traced his fingers onto the boy's face until he found the nose. He then pinched Tezuka's nose and tried to wake up from the lack of oxygen. Instead, Tezuka just opened his mouth, Ryoma was almost crying.

Just as he was about to give up and go back to sleep, someone rang the doorbell. "If someone can wake buchou up here in this mansion, I will be eternally grateful to them." Thought Ryoma. Just then, he could hear the stirring in his captain.

"Echizen, where am i?" asked Tezuka.

"Do you mind letting go of my hair buchou?" asked Ryoma

"Sorry about that." Said Tezuka as he untangled his fingers from Ryoma's hair before letting him get up.

"Someone is at the door." Said Ryoma as another series of rings from the doorbell continued chiming, but neither Atobe nor the others woke up from that sound.

"I will go see who it is. You should go downstairs and make yourself breakfast in the kitchen." Said Tezuka as he got up.

"Thanks," yawned Ryoma as he gently ruffled his hair. He walked towards the bathroom to take care of business before looking at the time flashing on the microwave. "6:45 a.m. eh? Who is really up this early in the morning?"

As Tezuka opened the door, he was immediately ambushed by a cactus that was shoved under his nose. "It's good to have you back, Tezuka!" smiled Fuji. "Sorry I couldn't come to Atobe's place yesterday evening, but Inui didn't tell me that you were returning until really late and I was getting ready for bed by then."

"You shouldn't have bothered, Fuji." Answered Tezuka as he took the cactus. "So are you stopping by on your way to somewhere?"

"Don't be silly, Tezuka." Giggled Fuji. "I came to give you some breakfast on my way here. After all, I cannot really boil water."

"Huh." Tezuka would have slammed the door right in Fuji's face, but he knew it would be futile since he had a spare key to Atobe's house. As the captain stepped away from the door, he lets Fuji and his friends in since they all had apologetic looks on their faces.

Once the gang reached the kitchen in the mansion, there was a loud squeal. "Ochibi, did you just spend the night with both buchous from our school and Hyotei all together?"

"Echizen, are you cheating on your boyfriends?" asked Oishi.

"What's this? Atobe and Tezuka and Echizen? Ii, data."

Tezuka groaned since this was not going to be pretty.

He then went into the kitchen and the first thing that he saw was Echizen. A hint of panic came to his eyes and when Echizen locked eyes with him, he knew what the kid was planning. "Echizen, were you really trying to get me and Atobe together?"

Echizen was smirking at him and ran into the living room before Tezuka could hear the backdoor closing. He could see the questioning looks on the faces of his friends. "And here I thought that Atobe was just being paranoid."

Fuji had a disappointed look on his face. "You better start explaining right now, Tezuka-buchou."

Did Tezuka even think of Echizen as his friend? No! The brat is now against him.

As Ryoma dashed outside to get some fresh air, he was convinced that no one was following him. He then leaned on his knees and breathed hard before seeing an image of Tezuka's shocked face flashing in his mind. He then giggled since this was his chance to avoid Tezuka for a while. Furthermore the streets were very quiet and no one was up yet. Ryoma decided to check his phone since he noticed that there were some unreturned text messages on his phone. They were all from Atobe.

"Might as well deal with this right away." Mumbled Ryoma as he returned to Atobe's house. He just returned from a jog not too long ago and decided to finish what he started.

When he got to the house, he didn't bother ringing the doorbell as no one was awake yet. He quietly opened the door with the spare key he picked up from the welcome mat before closing it behind him. He then took off his shoes and tiptoes into Keigo's room but he was not there.

At that point, Ryoma went into the kitchen and found something that he definitely was not expecting: the Dirty Pair piled onto one another, cans of sodas sprawled around them and some half eaten pizza next to them. "What in kami's name happened here?" asked Ryoma out loud before heading to the living room.

Once there, he discovered that Shishido Ryo was snoring while clutching an empty soda bottle and pizza smearing licked off by the Afghan hound next to him. Ryoma then kneeled down and patted the dog on the head before heading towards the couch. Before he could sit down, his eyes directed his attention towards Atobe sleeping on the floor with Jirou tightly held in his arms. "Calm down, maybe they are just having a one night stand, but this is far different from spending a night with buchou. Maybe they just fell asleep."

Atobe was still not waking up and so Ryoma must help Jirou. Furthermore, he walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and filled it with cold water before returning to the living room and dumped it on Atobe.

While Atobe was choking, Ryoma showed a deadly glare towards Jirou, forcing him to crawl behind Beat. But at least Ryoma has Atobe back.

"Good morning, Hyotei buchou. Did you have fun last night?" said Ryoma as he smiled brightly. "Or do you want me to call you Keigo-chan or kei-kun?"

Atobe looked at him for a moment as water started dripping from his hair onto the carpet. There was a questioning look on his face as he tried to understand what his boyfriend's intentions were. Then something clicked in his mind and a smile appeared on his face. He then pointed an accusing finger towards Ryoma. "Ah-ha, you were jealous that I had Tezuka all to myself, weren't you?"

"Mada Mada Dane." Said Ryoma as he dropped the bowl onto Jirou's head before heading back into the kitchen without stepping onto Shishido as he rolled onto his stomach and hugging the soda bottle.

He stared at the dirty pair for a moment before deciding to make some coffee because the guys at hyotei would need a lot of it to stay awake. Now normally, Ryoma would have stormed out of the house and waited for Atobe to beg him to stay. But this time, the tennis prodigy was feeling guilty that it was because of him, Tezuka was spending a night at Atobe's and that caused him to bring his subordinates over to be drunk. Furthermore, Atobe had a tendency to overreact when it comes to Tezuka.

As everyone waited for coffee, Ryoma sat down by the kitchen table before seeing Atobe joining him. He was still wearing his wet t-shirt but decided to dry his hair with a towel since it was a mess.

"So where have you been?" Atobe said. He was beginning to sound like a wife scolding his husband and Ryoma would come crouching like a husband out of town for the night.

"So sorry for not coming down sooner." He muttered.

"That does not explain where you have been now, does it? I have tried to call you from your room many times but you didn't answer." Said Atobe.

"Yeah, I know you texted me at least 30 times." Chuckled Ryoma.

"Why the hell didn't you reply?!"

"I was falling asleep because my buchou was crushing me." Ryoma continued muttering.

"What was that? I didn't quite catch that."

"I was watching my buchou's games in your guest room television and fell asleep."

"You fell asleep and you couldn't move because of the captain on your body?" Atobe was not convined at all.

"Yes."

"So let me get this straight; you are telling me that I have been worried sick, hyperventilating, and panicking just because you fell asleep!"

"Pretty much. Did you really hyperventilate? I was in the room this whole time and you didn't bother coming up to carry me downstairs to meet your teammates."

"Do not change the subject when ore-sama questions you!" said Atobe as he leaned over the table and stared intently at Ryoma. "So you didn't do anything else with your captain eh?"

"You have such a perverted mind, Monkey King!" shouted Ryoma

"Hmph!" atobe was crossing his arms. "you cannot blame me for thinking that. Why do you always run to him let alone spending a night with him instead of with me?"

"I already told you that it was not like that. The captain was holding me hostage and we fell asleep."

Atobe sighed and trailed his fingers through his wet hair. "You can't keep doing this to me."

"What am I doing to you?"

"This not talking to me. You can't keep ignoring me like this and I am tired of getting abuse from you."

"So, you'd be okay with having bruises from me if you knew the reason?" smirked Ryoma.

Atobe was laughing. "That's not exactly what I meant…" He then turned serious again. "Ryoma, I…"

He was interrupted by Jirou who flung his arms around him, and squealed, "Morning Keigo-chan! Did you see the picture that I took of Ryo-chan when he was sleeping? He was so cute! You might want to see it. I'll-"

He then saw Ryoma's golden eyes, those same eyes that would promise him pain and torment. Jirou slowly untangled his arms from around Atobe and hid behind Oshitari who just woke up. "Ryo-chan sure is scary." Whispered Jirou

Shishido emerged from behind them as he noticed the pizza and the mushrooms had disappeared. He then turned his attention towards the bowl of apples on the kitchen table and asked, "Are those things plastic too?"

"Who'd keep plastic fruits?" asked ryoma before handing one for Shishido. "Hope you slept well last night. Coffee?" he said before handing the cup to him.

"Thanks." Said Shishido as he set the cup on the table.

"You like fresh fruit? Well then ore-sama will make sure there will be fresh fruits next time you come here."

"I thought you said that they would attract insects." Muttered Shishido

Atobe then threw a plastic apple at his head.

"Ow! What the hell, Atobe!?" yelled Shishido.

He would have launched an attack on the captain if Oshitari hadn't intervened and directed him towards the coffee on the desk. "Do I detect the sweet scent of caffeinated beverage?"

"It's called coffee, you fake megane! And let go of me! I am going to knock some sense into that narcissistic bastard!"

"For a simple plastic decoration? That might be overdoing it, don't you think?" said Oshitari.

"Does he always talk like a walking encyclopedia?" asked Ryoma.

"No, it's a new thing actually. He used to have a terrible accent."

"Oh, what kind?"

"Kansai"

"You know, now that you mentioned it, I had a pen pal from there once."

"Do you still keep in touch with him?"

"No, not since he turned out to be a teenage detective, male, and has a girlfriend."

"Personal ads?"

"I was young and naïve at that time and I didn't know about his girlfriend."

"How old was he?"

"17, just like his rival from the east. I just met them a few weeks ago."

"WHAT!?" Atobe shouted as he knocked his own chair down when he stood up and shouted his question.

"Relax, I am just joking." Laughed Ryoma. "I am still keeping in touch with him as friends, but he was very busy due to exams."

"Don't ever do that again." Ordered Atobe. He then picked up his chair and took a seat. "I do not need any other reasons to be jealous of you. Tezuka is more than enough to give me a headache."

"I told you time and time again, you don't need to worry about Tezuka. I mean, we call him buchou because he just needs time for himself." Said Ryoma as he hoped that would explain everything.

"Whoa, did you hear that Yuushi? He sounds a lot kinkier talking like that." Said Mukahi as he leaned on the kitchen counter with a coffee cup in his hands. He was not alone as everyone else had their eyes fixed on them as well.

"So did you guys sleep well?" asked Ryoma.

"You didn't notice us here last night after how much flirting you did with your captain?" said Mukahi

"What?" Ryoma was oblivious to that response. "I didn't flirt with my buchou. He was just having you know problems sleeping and he wanted to embrace me last night."

"That was totally out of line. The way you said buchou is a little…. Different." Said Atobe.

"What is wrong with the way I say it?" asked Ryoma wide eyed.

"Oh shit, he did that again!" squealed Mukahi. "Why can't I talk like that? Why, yuushi, why?"

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Ryoma as he turned back to Atobe. "I'll ask again and I want an real answer this time: what is wrong with the way I say buchou?"

"Well, it just gives me nightmares of horrible images and its very provocative!" screamed Atobe.

"Yeah, me too." Groaned Shishido.

"Shut up, Shishido. You want me to hit you with an apple again, ahn?" glared Atobe.

"I seriously do not know what you guys are talking about. There is nothing wrong with how I said buchou. If there was something wrong, then I would have someone point it out to me." Said Ryoma as he tried to ignore the memories that are popping in his head like kikumaru's giggling, Fuji's quirked eyebrows, and Momo's smirks.

Shishido groaned overdramatically and closed his eyes while oshitari just had a glint on his face that reminded him of Fuji in a scary way. Jirou had his mouth open as if he didn't believe a word that came out of Ryoma's mouth.

"You seriously have to teach me that." Said Mukahi.

The comment literally pushed Atobe over the edge, or perhaps it was Oshitari checking out Ryoma. He then knocked the chair down again and pointed a finger at Ryoma before taking an imposing stance. "That does it! I am forbidding you from ever saying that word again!"

"What word would that be? Monkey King" glared Ryoma.

"Oh my god, it is not that one word miracle!" yelled Shishido. "And that would be the images that I woul rather not see."

"Now will you teach me that?" asked Mukahi.

"What is the matter with you perverts? And here I thought going to Hyotei was going to be a good thing, but now I have to deal with a bunch of freaks and perverts? Sometimes I wonder if Kenya blackmailed me into joining this school." Sighed Ryoma as he fled the kitchen while the others snickered loudly. Even Oshitari paused to readjust his glasses and smiled. "I think my cousin must have taught him well at shitenhouji."

The next day, Atobe came by and picked Ryoma up without groveling. But Ryoma felt regretful about what he did to his boyfriend previously. They were not fighting or anything when Ryoma left the house since he couldn't stand anymore of the sex and perverted lessons from Hyotei.

"well?" said Atobe.

"Yeah about yesterday. The whole buchou thing, he just said basically said the same thing you all did. He just wants me to be friends and not lovers and so he wants me to profess my love for you."

"Ah ha! See I told you so! I knew Tezuka couldn't handle this last night!" he then started a victory dance and then continued talking. "So, will you stop saying that word now?"

"I never said that!" shouted Ryoma.

"But… you just…. Why!?" whined Atobe.

"I like to see buchou blush." Smirked Ryoma.

"Oh of course you do." Said Atobe as he smacked his forehead. "Why am I cursed to fall in love with someone so insensitive like you?"

"In love?" choked Ryoma. "Wait just a minute here. No one told me anything about love.

"What, you are going to just claim that we were just having sex last night? That you think this is a step up in my tennis skills? No! I taught you better than that."

"That's not what I meant! I mean sure I like you as a friend, okay? But love? That is going a bit too fast, isn't it?"

"You like me?" asked Atobe. "That is just so like you, brat. I tell you that I reallylove you and you just go out and say you like me?"

"I like you a lot better than my own buchou."

"That's not sufficient enough!"

"Maybe I might learn to love you back?"

Atobe took a moment and looked at ryoma smirking again. "I am so going to nail your ass on the ground for that, brat."

"In tennis like you promised?"

"That too."

After another grueling match, Ryoma noticed something in the chain link fence that caught his attention since it was having a sign that said, "Property of Atobe Corp" on it.

"Does your family own this court?" asked Ryoma.

"Aa-hn, so you finally see why I am so wealthy. Why?"

"Well, what happened to the showers and the locker rooms?" yelled Ryoma

"If that is still bothering you, I can let them get started on building that." Suggested Atobe.

"Please don't. Otherwise, the perverts from Shitenhouji won't hear the end of it." Said Ryoma.

"I see that perverted school has made you into a love doctor." Laughed Atobe.

"I do my best. Besides, I should really convince your vice-captain to have a serious face to face chat with his cousin since he needs to stop filling my minds with unpleasant images." Continued Ryoma.

"I think we can arrange that." Said Atobe as he led Ryoma back into the car and towards the mansion again.

Back at Seigaku, rumors were spreading like crazy and decided that they need to put him in charge of handling love situations. Therefore a tennis club booth is required for Ryoma since he will be able to convince all the girls to get the guys they need since this is the only good way to make the tennis prodigy suffer.

"Looks like Echizen will be the one to handle all the duties as the temporary captain, eh, Momo?" laughed Fuji.

"Yup, that brat cheated on Buchou and now it is our turn to make that brat suffer the work that Tezuka left for him. And what better way to do it then with the school festival? Think of it as payback." Stated Momo.

By the time Ryoma returned to Seigaku, he was not pleased at what he was seeing in the tennis courts. And you can say he was beyond pissed at the courtesy of his 'wonderful' teammates.

This wasn't his first time experiencing the school festival but he was now being forced to participate since his teammates are ignoring his hard earned reputation of being the antisocial brat. Now, he is in charge of the tennis club booth. Why would they do that to him? Well, they needed a reason to make Ryoma suffer but since he was just starting out as the vice-captain, he didn't have much authority yet. No one needs to listen to him when he suggested laps because that was useless.

"I seriously hate you guys." Said Ryoma to Momo.

"Come on now! Do this for the school and maybe to your future boyfriend." Said Momo gleefully while snuggling the brat within his body.

"I am going to be leaving within the next 30 seconds if you do not let go of me." Warned Ryoma.

A few minutes later, he was released from momo's grasp, but not before he was receiving more hugs from Kikumaru. "Congrats on becoming captain, Ochibi! I think your duties here will be more than sufficient to win the heart of Atobe and our captain even if you have gotten advice from my senior officer from Hyotei."

"You blackmailed Oshitari and forced me to come to this festival!?" shouted Ryoma.

"I had no other choice, o-chibi. It was that or putting you through hours of love lectures from my romance professor and the guidance of Yanagi Renji." Said Kikumaru nervously.

"I will get you guys back for this!" yelled Ryoma angrily.

"And just who will you set payback to?" said a familiar voice.

"What are you doing here, kei-kun?" asked Ryoma.

"Ore-sama wants to try his hand at this game so please give me a few balls." Said Atobe

"Sure, here are your three balls." Said Ryoma as he gave Atobe three of them after collecting the money. "Knock down three piles of those things and you will get a special prize."

"Really? This game will be fun to play with. Oh Atobe-kun, you can win this, I have faith in you." Said the girl.

That really pissed Ryoma off. Why did they have to take his booth in order to fawn over with each other?

Ryoma watched as Atobe knocked down the piles while he covered his ears to stop him from listening to the girl squealing. "It was not that special." He mumbled and got the doll the girl had admired and the special prize he promised them, but not before he took the hyoutei logo and pinned it on there in order to get a reaction out of Atobe.

"That is so cute."

"Cute my ass! Why are you doing that, brat? I thought you were thinking my school was something special to you."

I don't know what you mean. But can you please not keep the other customers waiting?" sid Ryoma.

"Fine, but you are going to be the one counting money and giving me balls!" ordered Atobe.

"Atobe-kun I need something to eat!" said the girl

"Go get some food yourself then, I am busy here!" snapped Atobe.

The girl was staring at him incredulously with her mouth open while Ryoma smirked at her.


	42. Ryoma's True Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teacher: Who has all the rights to Prince of Tennis?
> 
> Students: Konomi –Sensei of ocurse! The Person writing this will not own the series whatsoever!

Although the fair has given Atobe a chance to improve his game, he somehow has left Ryoma a parting gift in his locker at school. Furthermore, it was strange for someone from another school sending his lover a present, but Ryoma didn't seem to be worried since this was his one chance to confront Atobe and show his true feelings.

Back at school, Ryioma prepped himself for first period, but as soon as he got to his locker, he could see a photo of his boyfriend smiling and much more focused in the middle of tennis since he was ready to return a ball. Ryoma figured that's the only reason why his boyfriend was dead serious on dating him since he was famous all over the magazines and the newspapers.

Just then, Kachirou tapped Ryoma on the back and said, "Ryoma-kun! I didn't know that you would be coming to practice today."

"Why?" asked Ryoma as he frowned.

"Well, its about yesterday." Began Kachirou.

"What about yesterday?" ryoma kept frowning. "And why are you in the locker rooms? Classes started almost a few minutes ago. If you are late, you could be running laps again."

Kachirou could only sigh at him, "This is why you are stuck between a rock and a hard place." He mumbled before heading into the classroom, hoping that Ryoma didn't hear him.

"I heard that Kachirou! 10 laps after school is over!" said Ryoma.  
"What exactly did you say to him?" asked Oishi.

"Nothing, I was trying to stop him from spreading rumors about Atobe's new girl."

"I thought he was dating you instead of that girl." Continued the captain.

"No, that girl was just an acquaintance." Replied Ryoma.

"Oh, well get out of here and get back to class." Ordered Oishi.

And with that, the school day has begun.

By the late afternoon after practice, Ryoma was on his way to detour through some shops since he needed to buy bread and rice. But he really needed new tennis shoes since his old ones are worn out already. Furthermore, even his own allowance and grocery money would not be enough for it, but he figured that he will survive it one way or another. Besides, he could always ask his sempais since they always help him out whenever he is in a bind.

Just as Ryoma was about to enter the shop, he could see a couple stepping out of a nearby shop and sure enough, it was Atobe and his new girl. However, he was only taking her shopping and not on an actual date. This girl was even more beautiful than the one Atobe took to the movies previously since he was more focused towards her.

"God, I am such an idiot! Why did I even agree to be Atobe's boyfriend? If I tell him that we are breaking up, I could lose my chance at confessing to him. And this is all his fault for dating too much when I am stalking him at a place like this." Said Ryoma as he hid behind a tree.

Once Atobe and his date stopped to admire some shop windows, he frowned when the girl kissed his hand. "God, he is so sappy!" thought Ryoma. But the girl herself was blushing after witnessing what just happened and a graceful smile appeared on her face. Atobe was asking something frm her and the girl was shaking her head.

"What the hell am I doing, I should be spending my money on new shoes and not stalking Atobe."

"Ochibi? What are you doing here?" asked a red-headed acrobat.

"Kikumaru-sempai, hey. What's up?" said Ryoma.

"Did I hear you correctly? You are still stalking Atobe?"

"I'm just trying to gather some data from them. It worked so well for Inui-sempai so I thought I might learn from him." Said Ryoma.

"Well, you are doing it in an amateurish way." Said eiji as he frowned. "Where are your binoculars, notebooks, and a cell phone in case you need to call for back up?"

"I have the phone that Atobe gave to me and it seemed to be very helpful. But I didn't have time to prep my notebook or the binoculars. He just showed up out of nowhere!"

"How dense are you? Are you just going to blame the mark? You must always come prepared when gathering intelligence, ochibi." Said Eiji as he shook his head in sadness. "looks like I have to assist you." Eiji then gave Ryoma a pair of small binoculars from his tennis bag. He then took out a notebook and handed it to the tennis prodigy. "here, take it."

"What are you giving me this for? It's your notebook. I can't take what is yours." Pleaded Ryoma.

"If intelligence gathering is what you need, please keep it. I have no intention of using it since I have all the data I need." Said Inui.

"Some sempai you are! You are of no help to me and now you ware leaving this intelligence gathering mission all alone to me? Sometimes I wonder what you are even thinking doing this to me." Said an indignant Ryoma.

Inui didn't say anything else as he left while Eiji snickered quietly before waving good luck to him. At this point, Ryoma had no idea what he was walking into, he just knows that stalking Atobe would be bad move on his part. In other words, he could be sued for stalking. But there was no way for Ryoma to back out now since he was here to find out what exactly his boyfriend was doing seeing other girls.

As Ryoma followed his boyfriend carefully without being detected, he could see Atobe settling down at a nearby café sipping on coffee when he noticed a noise behind the bushes and decided to investigate. Luckily Ryoma ducked deeper into the trees without being seen. Unfortunately for him, Atobe wasn't abot to be fooled and crossed his arms, "I know you are in there, Ryo-kun. And I can see why you have been stalking me for the last several minutes. Did that dataman send you here to scout me out?"

"You are very perceptive for a boyfriend. I was just gathering intelligence on your girl since I was the one that gave her the prize back at the concession stand not too long ago. Did you not notice?"

"I can see that! You know this is an invasion of privacy and I could have you thrown in jail? What will it take for you to stop following me?" protested Atobe.

"I just don't want you to date other people when you already have me. Anyway, do you mind me joining you at the table?" said Ryoma as he took at seat.

"Did you really have to ruin my date by bringing Sakuno here?" Atobe pleaded.

"I think I do."

"No, you don't need to do this."

"Excuse me, who is that kid talking about?" said the other girl.

"He's no one important." Said Atobe as he took the girl's hand. "My boyfriend is mentally challenged as he keeps following me around and ruining my dates."

"Interrupting your dates? Who else are you seeing after you asked me last week?" said the girl as she narrowed her eyes

"There was that squealer that I met on a staurday." Said Ryoma.

"Squealer? So you have been dating my best friend? And I presume that the best friend was Amane? I knew something was suspicious when she said her leg was supposed to be shaved!" She then stood up and slapped Atobe across the face before storming out of the café.

"Wait! Don't leave me alone with this obnoxious brat!" shouted Atobe. But the girl didn't hear him as she was out of sight. As Atobe blinked for a moment while rubbing his sore cheek, he glared at Ryoma. "Are you satisfied now, Echizen? What do I have to do to make you stop ruining my social life?"

"Stop dating other women and focus on me." Said Ryoma as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.

Atobe looked at him for a moment and laughed. "You are serious, aren't you?"

Ryoma shrugged and nodded his head.

"you know I am not gay right? I know what you are trying to do, but it will not work." Said Atobe.

"I know that, but I have been falling for you on the day that we first met." Said Ryoma

"Yeah okay! You are just gay for me." Chuckled Atobe.

"Maybe." Said Ryoma as he threw the napkin away before looking into Atobe's eyes.

"If this is some sort of a joke conjured up by your sempais, it is not funny, Echizen." Warned Atobe.

"I wish it was a joke." Muttered Ryoma.

"Um, Ryo-kun… This is not a date, isn't it?" asked Sakuno.

"Not really." Said Ryoma.

That night, Atobe sat in his room by his desk while staring at his math homework while trying to concentrate. He still couldn't get Echizen out of his mind. This whole situation wasn't true because after all this time, Echizen still didn't want to leave Atobe no matter how many times rich boy tried to get away from him. He suspected the kid hardly tolerated him!

"Atobe, we all know you are a narcissist so you do not need to convince us." Said Oshitari while drawling from the bed where he was lying. He was reading a book instead of doing homework. Jirou was also asleep while the rest of the Hyotei regulars were busy with their assignments. Atobe turned from his chair and looked at the human pile on his bed. He was about to say something, but decided not to.

Oshitari gave a puzzled look at Mukahi before closing his French book and marking it with the pink feather before straightening out his glasses. He then walked up behind Atobe and stood next to him. "The answer to that problem is a blur. So what is troubling you?'

"Its not me. It's actually Echizen and he has a crush on me."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, don't make me repeat it."

"I see, so what are you going to do about it?" asked Oshitari.

"Do? What can I do? It is not my problem." Said Atobe as he slammed his book shut and stood up from his desk before walking towards the window. Why should I care what that brat does?"

"For someone that does not care, you do spend and awful lot of time pondering something that isn't your problem. You could date him again since he is professing his love for you." Suggested Oishitari.

"Are you serious? I don't date boys, Oshitari."

"What about Sanada?" asked Mukahi.

"That was just a test okay? I was just curious to see if he would fall for a guy like me." Said Atobe. He was hoping the lie would go down because there was no way he would talk about sanada like this.

"A test? You claim that two months of bad poetry from you guys was just a test?" chuckled Oshitari.

"Don't forget, you whined like a baby when he decided that Yukimura deserved more love than you." Reminded Mukahi.

"That's not what happened! I left him because he was not my type!" screamed Atobe.

"You gave him an ultimatum. And we all know how that is going to end since he spends a lot of time admiring yukimura's picture." Said Oshitari.

"Oh screw you!" hissed Atobe.

"No thanks, I am straight."

Mukahi was giggling. "So that makes me a girl right?"

"Aren't you a girl already?" replied Oshitari. "My world has turned upside down! I am so confused!" He then turned towards Mukahi and proclaimed, "A girl a boy, and I don't care. All I can say is I love you! The world might be against us but love shall prevail!"

"For you my love, I would do some gender changing surgery and have my nuts plucked!" declared Mukahi. He was then hit on the head by a pillow.

"Cut it out, you woke me up with that nonsense!" pouted the sleepyhead.

"Thank you jirou!" said Atobe. "But next time, please use a mallet or something heavier?"

"I do not have a mallet."

"I will buy you one as long as you promise to drop it on those two if they act like idiots again!" said Atobe

"But Atobe, that's all the time!"

Mukahi just made a face at jirou before falling back on the bed. "you might not be gay, Atobe. But you are not straight either. Just because Sanada dumped you, doesn't mean you should swear off men."

"What are we talking about?" asked Jirou.

"That Echizen brat has a crush on Atobe." Said Oshitari.

"Is everyone playing tennis really that gay?" continued Jirou.

"Well, you are not." Answered Mukahi. "Unless there is something you haven't told us?"

"No, I still play tennis." Finished Jirou.

"You guys are a bunch of idiots, I swear!" deciared atobe affectionately.

"That's for sure, but do you wonder why you fit so well with us?" replied oshitari.

"Maybe it's because you people can't leave me alone?" shrugged Atobe.

The next day, practice resumed as usual since Tezuka left the role of temporary captain for Ryoma while he was in Germany since that kid didn't want the job in the first place. Furthermore, he just couldn't stand why the brother that he knew left him for the Hyotei captain.

"I knew this captain stuff was too much work for you, but why did you even ask for the job?" asked one of the players.

"I cannot handle the duties that much." Said Ryoma.

"It's not that much work as long as you can handle it."

"Huh?"

"I will leave you in charge for the rest of practice and locking up for today because I have a date and I cannot be late."

"What!? You can't do that to me!" yelled Ryoma.

"Yes I can! Because I make the rules here." Smiled the man. "It's good to be the captain."

"I could easily usurp your position if I wanted to." Growled Ryoma.

"Sure, keep telling yourself that." The captain patted Ryoma's head and smiled. "Don't forget to check to see if everyone has left before you lock up. Bye!" He waved cheerfully off the courts and Ryoma finally noticed that he was wearing school uniform and not a regular jacket.

"One day I will take your position as captain!" muttered Ryoma.

"What is going on?" yelled Katsuo.

"echizen still thinks that he wants the position of buchou." Replied Horio.

"What's new about that?" yelled Kachirou. "He is already acting like the captain!"

"If I hear one more word out of you guys, you will be running an additional ten laps!" Yelled Ryoma.

"What additional laps?" you haven't ordered us to do that yet." Said Horio.

"I will increase that to twenty-five!" screamed Ryoma.

A miracle has just occurred. Horio opened his mouth and tried to argue but he couldn't do it. He just sighed and started walking the laps with Katsuo and kachirou following close behind. The rest of the team quickly diverted their eyes from the seniors and pretended to practice, but Ryoma ws not fooled by their antics. "Great! Now you guys can run laps for—"

"Being useless as usual, we know." Muttered a sophomore.

"Actually, you guys acted like gossiping girls." Said Ryoma.

Once practice ran smoothly, no one had to run additional laps as they headed into the shower room to change. Unfortunately, the last person to leave the clubhouse would need to run an additional ten laps for tomorrow. As for the unlucky freshman, he was all teary eyed and began telling Ryoma about his sick mother. However, Ryoma didn't buy that act for a minute since he only wanted to leave so that he can spend time with Atobe instead of sorting out his teammate's fictional troubles.

Ryoma locked up and not bothered to check to see if he had left anyone behind since he couldn't care less. Overall, it was a depressing day since he really needed new sneakers after his old ones were so worn out. But as for Atobe, he wanted to ruin Ryoma's day even further with the date.

This time, Atobe' date was an elegant older woman with a beautiful dress. Yes, she was very good looking and even more beautiful than atobe's earlier dates, but she was a bit old.

Ryoma was twitching when the woman lifted her hand to caress Atobe's face and smiled brightly. This time Ryoma was planning to save Atobe from the clutches of this cradle robber and decided to follow them to the expensive restaurant. They were just about to sit down when Ryoma joined them.

"Ryoma…." Stammered Atobe.

"I thought we had agreed you are not going to date anymore." Said Ryoma. "And why would you go for someone older like her? Come now! She could be old enough to be your aunt!"

Atobe immediately coughed and with a polite tone, he said to Ryoma, "Echizen, I would like you to meet my mother."

Ryoma was blinking at the woman and smirked. "Yeah right! Nice try Atobe, but she is not old enough to be your mother."

Atobe immediately buried his face in his hands and sighed melodramatically. "This cannot be happening!"

"Why, thank you dear. You have such an exquisite taste in women!" said the lady as she smiled at him.

Ryoma frowned at her and a waiter came by. He then bowed and questioned, "Is everything all right, Atobe-sama? Is the boy disturbing you and your son?"

"No, it's quite all right. He is just a friend of Keigo's that will be joining us for dinner. "Said the woman.

Ryoma suddenly realized that Atobe wasn't really joking. "Is she really your mother?"

"Yes, you little idiot!" Hissed Atobe. "And what the hell do you mean I should not date anymore? I never agreed to anything like that!"

"Well it wouldn't do you any harm if you stopped dating. I am worried about your tendencies to date so many girls and not seeing them more than twice. You need a break from that." Said his mother.

"Mom, I just wish you would stop interfering with my social life." Said atobe.

"As long as you live under my roof, I will have every right to interfere with your social life." Replied the woman

"Then I have to live with my father." Said Atobe.

"Your father has enough on his plate already and does not want to have a moody teen messing anything up, darling. We've been over this."

"You know I am not a moody teen." Said Atobe.

"yeah right! You are just overdramatic." Said Ryoma.

Atobe's mother just laughed while Atobe just stared with his mouth gaping open.

"I like your friend, Keigo." She said.

"He's not my friend, he is just an old rival." Said Atobe.

"You mean like Sanada?" asked the mother.

"No, he is not like Sanada!" said Atobe.

"Che, Sanada's got nothing compared to me." Exclaimed Echizen. Atobe then stared at him for a while before reminding himself that Echizen knows nothing about him and Sanada.

"A young man like him with a healthy dose of self-confidence. Very refreshing!" She then picked up the menu. 'Why haven't you introduced me to him earlier, Keigo?"

Atobe wasn't sure how to answer this because Ryoma's phone rang. As the boy answered it, he was frowning and growling, "What do you mean you are stuck in the clubhouse? Call the actual captain instead of me!" He then ended the call, but the phone rang again and ryoma answered. "All right, All right! Stop sniveling and I will get you out!"

"Sorry about this, but I need to get one of the freshman out of the locker room since the captain is out on his date right now. Why couldn't I have gone for the position of Buchou? I am already doing all of his work." He was whining under hisbreath.

Atobe smiled at him, "It's quite all right. Too bad we had to cut the dinner short." He lied about that.

"I was hoping you could dine with us." Said Atobe's mother sincerely. "Tell you what, why don't you come over tomorrow and I can show you around the house! Isn't that lovely, Keigo?"

"Sure, that would be wonderful." Smiled Atobe.

"Great, I will definitely stop by tomorrow after practice. Bye Monkey King!" ryoma smirked as he left the restaurant.

"He's such a nice boy." Commented Atobe's mother.

Atobe was banging his head on the table and continued his mantra. "This is really not happening!"

The next day after practice, Ryoma realized that he had no idea where Atobe lived. He could have called his boyfriend and asked him for the address, but he didn't have his number either. "He wouldn't want me anywhere near his residence anyway." Muttered Ryoma as he searched through his contact list and found Yuushi's number and ask him for the information. Once he got home, he could see Karupin sleeping innocently on the couch after witnessing the new aquarium shattered into pieces on the carpet. There was no sign of the goldfish.

"Looks like you are not going to be eating dinner tonight?" he asked the cat. "you are lucky that my dad and mom are not here, or I would be planning your funeral now." Sighed Ryoma as he had to say goodbye to a portion of his grocery money that would be needed for a new fish and aquarium.

After he gathered the glass shards into the bucket, his phone started ringing, "Yes, Atobe-kun?"

"Where the hell are you?" Atobe's annoyed voice questioned him and Ryoma somehow cut his index finger on a piece of glass.

"OUCH! SHIT!" he cursed and sucked on his finger/

"Are you all right? It seems that you are injured or something. But no matter, you should feel bad about forgetting that you had an appointment to come to my hosue after your practice is over. Even if you do not have access to proper transportation, I can come and get you. But since I waited long enough, I wil need to come to your house and get you!"

"How on earth did you get my number? I was about to call Yuushi-sempai and ask him for the information. No, karupin, do not step on the carpet, you will hurt yourself!" Ryoma immediately lifted the cat with one hand while sucking the finger on his other hand and talking to Atobe at the same time before heading to the kitchen.

"Your phone number is no longer a secret! Besides, why would my friend yuushi tell you? You wanted him to pick you up himself? I can easily handle that without the assistance of my associates." Ryoma could hear Atobe snorting. "If I knew you were not coming, I can reschedule and do something much more productive with my time, Echizen. Are you listening? I don't know how you were raised, but when you agreed to be my boyfriend and do something, please keep those appointments on your phone so that you do not forget them."

"I'm so sorry for not fulfilling my promise, but I do think I need a lift from you. And also, if you can give me a bandage for my index finger, I would greatly appreciate it." Said Ryoma.

"you brat! Why didn't you say something sooner? Answer me!" said Atobe.

But before Ryoma could answer, Karupin immediately leaped from Ryoma's arms and ran out the front door that the brat had left open. "Hey get back here Karupin!" ryoma shouted as he placed the phone down on the counter and ran after the cat.

Atobe waited for Ryoma's response like a simple explaination, but the line was still silent. Finally he placed the phone down on the desk and a frown appeared on his face. It's not like Atobe really cared, eh was just annoyed that no one kept appointments that they made. Echizen said that he was coming and should have fulfilled his promise. But echizen didn't bother calling and this had made atobe waiting like a fool for the brat to show up.

"I have been stood up, I really have been stood up!" repeated Atobe as he sat down, but instead, he was on the floor. "Ouch, Shit!" shouted atobe as he rubbed his aching behind.

"This is so unacceptable." He announced and stood up, grabbing his phone and coat before leaving the house. "I am going out to pick up Echizen, Mother!" He passed her in the hallway without seeing them.

Atobe's mother elbowed the chef that she was talking to and winked. "He was like that with Sanada-kun, isn't he?"

"Surely, Madam," answered the chef. He was still not comfortable with his employer's familiarity. He just preferred Master atobe sincer that would be the highest compliment since he enjoyed working for his employer.

Meanwhile on the second floor of the mansion, Yuushi and Gakuto watched with amusement as they saw the captain outside of the house and said, "He will never give up on that Seigaku brat, won't he?"

"Nope, it's like he really wants the brat for himself. I wonder if you really were going to pick that boy up from his house?" added Gakuto.

"I would, but my limo driver is on vacation right now. Perhaps I should go with Atobe to see if he needs my assistance." Said Yuushi as he closed his book and headed downstairs with his phone and coat in both hands. He then rushed out the door and ran towards the front yard and off to the bus station.


	43. True Love Conquers All Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teacher: Who has all the rights to Prince of Tennis?
> 
> Students: Konomi –Sensei of ocurse! The Person writing this will not own the series whatsoever!

As Atobe cursed under his breath after stepping out of the bus, he took out the phone that showed him the directions towards Ryoma Echizen's house. He was certain that Tezuka wanted to make the diva's live miserable by giving him confusing instructions on what bus goes to the boy's house instead of an address. Unfortunately for Atobe, Tezuka was the only one in Atobe's acquaintances that knew where the Echizen brat lived.

With the thoughts of Tezuka's mind out of his head, he could see the annoyance peasant walking on the sidewalk and disappearing around the corner and decided to walk after him since he would lose sight of the boy.

"Echizen, wait up!" said Atobe as he was only a few feet away from the boy.

Echizen immediately turned around with his cat held tightly in his arms. His eyes widened when he recognized the person that spoke his name. He then shook his head and kicked Atobe in the kneecap.

"OWW! What the fuck echizen? Why the hell did you kick me!?" yelled Atobe.

"Just making sure that I am not dreaming." Muttered Ryoma.

"Yeah well slap your face instead of kicking me!" protested Atobe.

Ryoma paused for a moment and handed his cat to Atobe who kept it at an arm's length. He stared at the boy's passive face and heard a smack sound. "You didn't just slap yourself, did you?" asked Atobe

"Yeah, and it hurts a lot."

"The hell it does!" yelled Atobe as he shoved the cat back to its owner. "Please offer me some refreshments! I hoped you can appreciate the trouble that I went through to find you!"

"Yes of course." Said Ryoma as he raised his hand to slap himself again. But Atobe grabbed his wrist and said, "You slap me one more time, I will personally knock you out myself."

"Right." Said Ryoma. He couldn't care less about being knocked out because Karupin might get lost again. Ryoma was not sure if he could trust his boyfriend to take care of his cat. "I am glad you are here."

"Yeah well, I am on the sidewalk. Please let us go inside. You do live around here, don't you?" continued Atobe.

"Yep, that's our house." Said Ryoma as he pointed a finger at his back and Atobe's eyes went to the direction that the boy was pointing at. The house was nice for a family since it was not too big or small with a fence and a bell surrounding it. "So why are you here?" asked Ryoma.

"Because we had an appointment and you didn't show up when I called you." Answered Atobe.

"I didn't know where you lived."

"Yeah, but you could have called."

"I wanted to, but I didn't have your number. Besides, I would have called up Oshitari and asked him about it. So you really wanted to show me your house?" said Ryoma as he went to his gate and opened it while talking to Atobe.

"That's not the point. Whether if my associate wanted to give you the number or not is irrelevant. You said you wanted to come and yet you have forgotten. A simple phone call would have sufficed."

"Like I said, I don't have your number." Said Ryoma as he placed his cat down once they were on the porch.

"Then I will give you my number so that you can keep it in your memory." Said Atobe as he followed the cat inside and Ryoma followed behind him before closing the door.

"What? Seriously? You are giving me your number?" asked Ryoma.

"Yes, of course." Said Atobe.

"Thanks, so what do you like to drink?"

"Tea would be fine, thank you."

"Oh, right I forgot that we had that." Ryoma headed towards the kitchen and Atobe followed him, wondering if the kid really hit his head at some point for acting strangely. He then heard a beep underneath his foot and realized that he had stepped on Echizen's phone. He then picked it up, programmed his number on the phone before closing it.

"Do you prefer jasmine tea or lemon tea?" asked the boy.

"I prefer water." Said Atobe.

"We've got milk." Suggested Ryoma.

"Water will be fine." Insisted Atobe. Ryoma looked around the kitchen and noticed the pile of unwashed dishes in the sink and a stack of tennis magazines on the table and decided to clear them out.

"Where is your father by the way?" asked Atobe.

"He is probably on vacation with my mom." Answered Ryoma. "She got time off work and since dad was not doing anything, they decided to go on a second honeymoon."

"And they left you all by yourself?" asked Atobe in disbelief.

"I'm old enough to look after myself." Snapped Ryoma as he placed the last of the dishes in the dishwasher. Atobe just smiled at him amusedly.

"I didn't claim otherwise." Answered Atobe. "My parents barely have the time to go on trips now because my father has his hands full with the family business. Furthermore, if my mom is not busy with her own things, she just loves to interfere with my life. And whenever they are not home, I am never alone because there will always be someone around the house, even if it is only one of the servants."

"Really? I thought your parents were divorced." Frowned Ryoma

"They're not. What gave you that idea?" asked Atobe.

"I do remember you threatening your mom that you would move in with your father. I am just thinking that if they didn't live together…" shrugged Ryoma as he filled a glass with water and handed it to Atobe.

"Oh, that!" said Atobe as he lifted the glass and stared at it against the light before he drank from it while Echizen finished the last of the dishes. "No, my dad was to remain in England for some work. But he will be back by the end of the year."

"He just decided to stay in one country for a year?" asked Ryoma

"Yes." Said Atobe.

"And you are okay with that?" Ryoma was puzzled by that.

"I don't remember anyone asking for my opinion." Shrugged Atobe. "Anyway, I will pick you up from school tomorrow. Don't you dare forget this time." Said Atobe.

"Why?"

"To show you the house of course. Or have you forgotten the promise you made to my mom?"

Ryoma didn't make any sort of promise but shrugged it off anyway. "Okay then, see you tomorrow after school."

"Yes of course, don't be late." Confirmed Atobe as they stared at each other. "I should get going then." Said Atobe as he placed the glass on the table.

"Take care of yourself, bye." Said Ryoma as he walked his boyfriend out of the house before waving at him.

Atobe waved back at him into the distance since Ryoma didn't know why the diva was still here. "You are still a brat!" he barked. Ryoma could only sigh in relief as he picked up the glass and poured water all over himself.

The next afternoon, Echizen's phone starting beeping off like crazy. This somehow attracted the attention of Hideki and Yoichi.

"Do you want to see something cool, Yoichi?' asked Hideki.

"Sure, what is it?" asked Yoichi as he grinned. They were thinking that Hideki has bought a new phone or had a playboy with him since he likes to visit Hideki's house because his father had a lot of playboys.

"Follow me" said Hideki as he headed towards the club's vice captain. He then grabbed a hold of friend's arm and hissed, "Are you sure we should be heading over to Echizen-sempai? He sure is scary."

"Trust me," said Hideki as he flashed a grin at his friend before turning his attention towards the boy. "Echizen-sempai."

"Yes, Hideki, what is it?" scowled Ryoma at the two.

"Was that your phone that went off?" asked Hideki.

"Phones are not to be used during practice, you know that, Hideki-kun." Scowled Ryoma dangerously.

"I thought I heard a beep, didn't you, Yoichi-kun?"

"Well, not really. Please pick up some balls before I give you laps." Frowned Ryoma as the three freshman left.

"What on earth was that about?" hissed Yoichi

"Just watch." Grinned Hidenki as he pointed towards the vice-captain. As Ryoma glanced around, he made sure no one was looking and took out his phone from the pocket and opened it up quickly to respond to a few messages before putting it back in his pocket.

"That was it?!" yelled a furious yoichi. "I only risked a few laps just so you could tell me that Ryoma has a phone at practice time?!"

"You haven't seen everything yet." Grinned Hideki as he looked sideways at Ryoma.

After a while, Ryoma took his phone out again and opened it before staring at it and grinned again. This made Yoichi's jaw fall off since Echizen-sempai never grinned! He glared, frowned and smirked wickedly. "I told you it would be cool." Grinned Hideki

"He is very disturbing," answered Yoichi.

Once school was over, Atobe waited at the gates of Seigaku with his bags on the ground next to him. He didn't pay any attention to the kids that passed him since he was too busy with other things. When Echizen finally arrived, Atobe was frowning because the look on the boy's face was still the same as yesterday. He was not willing to witness another ridiculous attempt on echizen's part to convince himself that this was no dream. He then leaned forward and slapped echizen on the side of his head.

"Ouch! What the hell was that for? Asked Echizen as he rubbed his head.

"I was doing you a favor." Answered Atobe as he picked up his bags.

"A favor? Care to explain that?"

Aa-Ahn, I just saved you the trouble of smacking yourself on the head. Now then, let's go." Said atobe as he started walking away with Echizen following him close behind.

"Are we really walking towards your house?"

"Nope, my mom is having her friends over and I cannot let you go and embarrass her." Said Atobe.

"I would never do such a thing." Argued Echizen

"I'm afraid I find that hard to believe since you embarrassed me many times." Snorted atobe.

"Ah yes that, but it's different. I just like your mom." Replied Ryoma

Atobe glared at echizen for a moment and found the kid smirking at him. "if you are going with that logic, you would let me date in peace?" he asked.

"Probably." Muttered Echizen

"Well then, I will finally make you my lover!" declared Atobe

"are you sure?" snorted Echizen. "So where are we going?"

"I don't know, but my mom said I should do something delinquent. So, do you have any ideas?"

"How about going to the arcade? I can always call the devil Kirihara and ask him."

"Now you are friends with that devil bastard from Rikkai dai?"

"I usually see him around since he and I still chat about the good times. He even mentioned about Sanada's rejection." Said Ryoma.

"I guess he is not taking it too well, huh? Well, then it's your call. We will go to the arcade." Said Atobe. He was just happy that echizen hasn't been talking about the former Rikkai ace no matter what sort of claims he might make. Besides, Sanada and everyone else was a touchy subject for Atobe since Kirihara was the first witness to see his fukubuchou's bitter breakup and he did not wish to see how quickly Sanada ran off towards Yukimura.

"Last' chance: it's me or him, Genichirou. I refuse to be your second in command or your heart. Choose wisely!" atobe could feel his composure slip away from him, having being forced to listen to sanada listing Yukimura's virtues.

"There is no choice." Stated Sanada. Atobe only smiled at him since he was confident in his decision. "It's always been Yukimura."

Atobe's mouth was twisting as he remembered the stoic voice that broke his heart for months. What hurt him the most was how Sanada had been able to say them without any emotions showing on his face. He didn't even have a crush on that guy because he meant a lot more to Yukimura than the diva. Now, with Echizen here to start the vicious cycle again, Atobe refused to be a part of it because it would crush his heart again. In the end, if Atobe could open up to Echizen a bit more then he would be the one to hurt since he has showed his feelings for Echizen just like with Sanada at the beginning.

Atobe diverted his eyed to the boy walking alongside him because it was not uncommon for him to develop feelings for the brat since this kid was interesting and not because of tennis that always intrigued the diva. It was his rudeness and annoyance that attracted him, especially when Echizen amazed and amused him. However, Atobe finally realized that spending time with the brat was not such a bad idea after all. This was his chance to make his move and let him forget about having a crush on Tezuka since the diva will always come out on top,

"Are you sure you don't want to have your limo driver pick you up?" asked Echizen.

"What? And risk all this time waiting? You're kidding me."

"You are sure that walking won't be strenuous for you?"

"Echizen, I am an athlete and I work out my body on a daily basis. Of course I am up to it!" snarled Atobe.

He was surprised when the brat didn't continue to bait him, since there was a frown on his face and asked, "Can you not call me brat anymore?"

"What, would you rather be called Ryo-chan?" smirked Atobe. He was thrilled that for once the tables were turned on Echizen that was irked about the way Atobe referred to him instead of the diva fuming about being called "Monkey King"

"That would be more appropriate since I am your future boyfriend after all." Scowled Echizen as he moved on ahead.

"All right then, but wait up for me, Ryo-chan!" yelled Atobe.

None of them made it to the arcade because both boys have passed a tennis court where two girls are playing. Furthermore, Atobe's steps slowed when he saw one of the girls make a perfect volley and the other one stopped to return the ball. There was no way that wild horses could drag him away as the rally continued.

Echizen was no wild horse as he grabbed a hold of Atobe's wrist and pulled. "What the hell, Echizen!?" he shouted.

"There is no time for you to ogle with the girls now since you are with me." Said Echizen.

"I was not ogling at them!" insisted Atobe as he stopped and dropped Echizen's hand off his wrist. He then tried again, but Atobe would not budge.

"The hell you weren't!" screamed Echizen as he glared at his boyfriend.

Atobe's eyebrows rose as he placed his wrist towards himself while a stubborn Echizen was dragged towards him so that their faces were close towards each other. His cheeks was turning red as he stared into Atobe's amused eyes. "And if I was," Atobe spoke with a whisper. "It doesn't have anything to with you."

"Of course it does!" argued Echizen

"How can you claim such a thing?"

"Because I can't stand you dating other women!" yelled Echizen

Atobe snorted as he laughed. "You are so unbelievable. Just because you have a crush on someone, does not give you the right to rule over them."

"And why not?"

Atobe gaped at him and said, "Sorry I cannot talk to you." He answered as he dropped the boy's grip from his wrist and walked away.

"Where are you going?" Echizen yelled after him.

"Home!" answered Atobe.

"You can't! Your mom kicked you out, remember?"

"Shit!" cursed Atobe as he turned around.

"How about some tennis to pass the time?" suggested Echizen.

"Against an inferior person such as you? It would be a waste of my time," spoke Atobe with a dramatic air.

"You're not fooling anyone." Muttered Echizen. "I'm not going to beg if that is what you are hoping. Besides, there is an empty court not too far from here. We can catch the bus from there." Said Ryoma as he pointed at a bus stop across the street.

"Fine, but I am not settling for one set!" demanded Atobe

"What, do you want to do two?"

Atobe quirked an eyebrow and smirked.

"Che! Fine you want three? Let's do it!" said Echizen as he crossed the street with Atobe following after him.

"This is a tennis court?" asked Atobe as he saw the court with no one bothering to look after it. The fences had a lot of holes that even Kabaji can go through and the ground itself had more cracks than atobe's mother had shoes.

"Yeah? What's the problem?" glared Ryoma as he sensed his boyfriend's disapproval in his tone of voice. The court itself might not be in perfect condition, but it had meant something to Ryoma. This was where he played against Tezuka and found something more in tennis other than just beating his father. Furthermore, it would betray something sacred bringing his boyfriend here.

"Nothing too bad, but you have to win two sets to beat me!" shouted Atobe as he began his serve.

"yeah, Yeah! Get on with it!" ryoma yelled back.

After the match, Ryoma laid on the ground, gasping for breath, heart racing, and clothes drenched in sweat. The sun was making him squint as he longed for the protection of his cap that usually will prevent the sun from blinding him. As for his hat, it would need time to find it since he was too tired to move. Suddenly, a shadow stepped between him and the sun.

"I want to do it again," smirked Ryoma

All Ryoma got was an amused snort.

Two weeks have passed since Atobe went on a date since he spent time with Echizen playing tennis with that brat. However, they do spend time in the arcade or just hanging around town. They would become something like friends when atobe was not paying attention and it would be ridiculous if he was not watching the brat's team play. Furthermore, he would have left immediately once the Rikkai's cheering squad was here, especially those sickly yellow uniforms. However, he cannot back out now as he made a promise to his boyfriend that he would be there or else he would face some painful memories.

"Atobe? Is that you?" said a familiar voice. This was a shock that could be compared to someone pouring water over someone's head in the morning. He was not expected to meet Yukimura because the sight of him being all lovey-dovey with sanada would crush him. So, he has to keep his eye on the Seigaku team since Echizen is among them since he was very confident by his captain as they observed the first doubles match since he would likely face Yukimura later on.

"Hello, Yukimura, he greeted the other boy coldy, but was surprised when the captain's smile seemed to waver. "Are you here to scout the new talent?"

"Something like that." Answered Yukimura with a frown. "Did I offend you somehow? Because I am so sorry that Sanada rejected you since I am not the one responsible."

Atobe was laughing bitterly since he had the urge to get up and punch yukimura. The boy still looked frail and even though the diva knew it was an illusion, Yukimura still had more strength in his lithe frame.

"What do you mean, can't hold you responsible? Please, you are responsible for your actions!" Atobe was seething since he lost his temper.

"How is that possible? I never said anything negative about you to my boyfriend Genichirou. In fact, I was favoring you and thought you were a great match." Yukimura then took a seat next to atobe and placed his eyes right at him with his own. "You shouldn't accuse me of something I didn't do."

Atobe could only breathe a sigh of relief and realized that Yukimura had no knowledge of the reason behind their split. He was thinking that Sanada would go run to Yukimura since he would be more than happen to receive him with open arms. He then suspected that Sanada's feelings for yukimura were unrequited. If that was true, Sanada would have moved on by now.

"So, how is Sanada?" asked Atobe

Yukimura only sighed at Atobe's evasion of the question. "Not very well, he misses you."

"I highly doubt that." Snorted Atobe. "He made is very clear that he cares a lot about me."

"Not true." Said Yukimura with a serious look. "I can see Sanada speaking of you often. You should try again.

"Not possible." Answered Atobe. He wasn't looking forward to playing the second fiddle to anyone, especially not Yukimura.

"you've found someone new already." Guessed yukimura. "Why else would you be here if you are not watching him?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Atobe.

Yukimura was nodding towards the court and Atobe followed his eyes before seeing Echizen glaring at them from under his cap with his arms crossed. Furthermore, Atobe could see his lips stretching to a smile at the brat's jealousy. He was able to recognize Yukimura since he was having a feminine side.

"He does not seem very happy at seeing me here. I guess he wants me to tell you into seeing sanada again."

"Why would he think that? Besides, Echizen knows nothing about Sanada."

Yukimura took his eyes off Echizen and glanced sideways at him. "I think he does. Besides, I don't see any reason why he would tell akaya to keep 'his cap-wearing greasy sempai' away from you. I think the order was followed by a few select threats that are too colorful for me to repeat when there are young children here."

"How could he have found out?" glared Atobe as he crossed his arms.

"Nothing can be kept a secret forever in the high school tennis circles." Replied Yukimura. "I heard Echizen is very close to his sempais. They're rooting for you." He smiled at the diva. "I won't need to press you anymore since you should call Sanada and talk to him. I got the feeling that you both regretted saying things you didn't mean to say. Therefore, you must get past them."

Atobe noticed that Yanagi and Kirihara are there on the bleachers before he saw that devil monster cuddling Yukimura. His eyebrows flewup and looked away after Kirihara blew a raspberry at him. That could only explain the reason behind Sanada's desire to reconcile since Yukimura already had a boyfriend.

Atobe then turned his eyes back to the court to see the first singles match since Seigaku already lost the second doubles game after winning the first one. Echizen was playing singles two and yes he was infuriating since he had no business running his mouth off to Kirihara like a jealous boyfriend. But despite that, he still loved the boy and wanted to stay to watch his match.

Atobe was watching a video that he made when he and Sanada were alone in the room since it was already on dvd. He had forgotten to take it out of the player and somehow, this gave him memories that he would be trying to ignore and forget. He then stopped the video since he couldn't make himself erase that image from the screen. Just then, the screen went black.

Atobe looked up and sees Echizen holding the plug but couldn't find the words to say to him as he held the remote. He then heard a sharp crack and turned his head towards the sound. His DVD was shattered in half after Echizen took it out of the dvd player.

Yes, he was lauging like crazy. But there was nothing amusing about this as his laughter grew even louder until it became panicked. He tried stifling his laughter with his hand and when that didn't work, he hits his leg and clenched his jaw before yelling like crazy.

Echizen walked towards Atobe and planted a kiss on his lips since that brought him back to his senses. He breathed in before inhaling the brat because that reminded him of spring.

The brat had his eyes closed while his hands are on Atobe's shoulders. He could feel the boy's smile against his lips as the boy said to him, "Finally, that made you close your mouth."

Atobe frowned and leaned back. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I called your cell phone but your mom answered it and invited me in." said Echizen

Atobe immediately stood up and glanced over to his desk since he did not see his phone anywhere. He must have left it downstairs since he was exactly the kind of person to invite people over just like his mother. Besides, it was her pleasure to make her son's life miserable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's notes: Well, we resolved the Sanada issue and now, Echizen made his move to finally show off his true feelings to his boyfriend before Atobe could do anything. I guess the final chapter will determine if atobe has the courage to show if his love can defeat Sanada once and for all. I know I promised you guys an ending that will bring these two together but the final chapter will decide it all. Besides, I told you that Sanada was not Atobe's true calling since he was only a substitute and to me, I guess he wants Yukimura back because he would not go anywhere without him. I will see you all next week for the conclusion.


	44. True Love Conquers All: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teacher: Who has all the rights to Prince of Tennis?
> 
> Students: Konomi –Sensei of ocurse! The Person writing this will not own the series whatsoever!

"I see, so it seems that my mom has a tendency to interfere in my love life again. But seriously, you didn't have to break the dvd." He told Echizen while standing up. "Simply removing it would have sufficed."

"What's the point of having a video of your ex-boyfriend anyway?" asked Echizen.

"How do you even know about that?" asked Atobe.

"Judging from what your mom told me, I'd say she has seen everything about what you and Sanada are doing together in bed." Smirked Echizen arrogantly.

Atobe then smacked the brat over the head. "Ow!" yelled Echizen as he rubbed his head. "What the hell was that for?"

"That was for being an insufferable little brat." Said Atobe. "Now what do you want?"

"I want another tennis match!" grinned Echizen. Atobe immediately widened his eyes for a moment before smacking his forehead in disappointment.

"Sorry, I can't. I'm studying." Said Atobe as he returned to his desk.

"No you are not." Snorted Echizen.

"I would be, if you give me some me time!" snapped Atobe.

"But you'd be wallowing in self-pity. All that studying will hurt your brain anyway." Argued Echizen.

"Look here! I wasn't-! Oh, what's the point? You are not going to listen to me no matter what I tell you anyway." Said Atobe as he threw the shards of the dvd into the trash can before sitting back at his desk. "If you are not going to leave, please keep quiet while I study."

"Fine." Said Echizen as he plopped down on Atobe's bed. "This is very comfy." He commented before taking out a tennis weekly magazine for some reading. He then fell asleep a few hours later.

Atobe tried his best not to stay pissed at Ryoma, but his irritation didn't last very long. He then returned to his books and glanced out of the window, seeing his own reflection. The soft smile on his lips still shocked him even more than hearing Sanada's voice. Furthermore, Atobe slapped a hand over his mouth before he looked at the boy sleeping peacefully on his bed. The sight of it has filled the diva with affection and that really scared the shit out of him. He knew that if he didn't break up with Sanada now, he might not be able to get Echizen back. He didn't mean for this to happen since liking echizen back was not part of his plan. The plan was to get Echizen to fall for him so that he can be left alone to drown in his own misery.

The next morning, Ryoma found himself alone on atobe's bed since the other boy was not in the room. All the lights are still off and the thick curtains had been drawn in front of the windows so he couldn't tell what time it was. He then checked his cell phone that he fished out from his pocket and saw that it was nearly nine. Besides, tomorrow was a Sunday, so he wouldn't be in trouble with his mom for being out late on a school night. Furthermore, if he leaves now, he can get home in about an hour.

Ryoma turned back to his side and yawned. He knew that he needed to get up, but Atobe's bed was just too comfortable. He was about to drift back off to sleep when the door opened and a streak of light fell on top of him.

"Are you still asleep?" asked Atobe from the doorway. Ryoma immediately closed his eyes since he just wanted to rest for a little while longer and maybe his boyfriend wouldn't wake him up.

As the door closed, Ryoma figured that his boyfriend was downstairs, but soon, his rest was disturbed as someone pressed down on the mattress while sitting on the bed.

He could hear his boyfriend sighing before his voice and his whole face held onto the raven-haired boy's face. "In case you are really awake, while pretending to sleep for some inane reason, I am not going to figure that out." The mattress was pressed down again and Ryoma opened his eyes in slits while seeing Atobe kneeling over him. "My mom called your parents to let them know that you are spending the night here on my bed. Are you satisfied now brat? You've driven me out of my bed."

"Well, I am going to be out of my mind to let you do all this for me." He said as he tried to feign sleeping. Atobe continued to talk to Ryoma as he could feel a soft touch against his cheeks. "I cannot let you break my heart a second time and here you are, a frigging tempest knocking on my walls. Why the hell won't you leave me alone, brat?"

"I wasn't given a choice. If I wasn't here, I wouldn't have you as my boyfriend." Answered Ryoma. " The reason why I didn't confess sooner was because I didn't want to choose these feelings, they just came too soon."

"You could have gone on pretending they didn't exist and we would have been a lot happier."

"Do you really think so?" asked Ryoma as he turned from his side and lied on his back before starring at Atobe's face hovering over the boy. "That's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. I like you as my boyfriend, even when you are the biggest drama queen and show-off I've ever met."

"And you are still a selfish little brat." Murmured Atobe. "I could have lived very happily by dating other girls every week."

"That would have made you miserable." Replied Ryoma with certainty. "Do you even like any of the girls you dated?"

"What in Kami's name makes you think I ever fell in love with you?"

"You can kiss me right now, can't you?" asked Ryoma as he smirked at him. "I'd say that's a –"

Atobe immediately kissed him and then mumbled against his lips, "Oh be quiet, you insufferable brat."

"Make me, Monkey King."

The next day, Atobe was waiting for his former boyfriend at the restaurant while trying to remind himself of all the reasons that he had done this and why he had called Sanada and asked for this meeting. He tried not to feel guilty about not telling Echizen about it.

However Yukimura was right about one thing: he needed this; due to the fact that his sudden meltdown over a stupid video proved it. He needed to look Sanada in the face in order to get over him and he has to know if he and the Fukubuchou of Rikkai was completely over with their love relationship. Furthermore, he has to know if his feelings are really going to work with Echizen and to his surprise, he found out that he wanted to make it work.

"Atobe," said Sanada. His voice hadn't changed, but it had more of an impact on him than the digitally recorded voice. He was shuddering visibly and forced himself to look up at the face that nearly made him cry yesterday when he saw it on the television screen. Something in his heart must have pulled him to have this meeting with Sanada since he had warm brown eyes. This reminded him of how he had felt when he was embraced, how steady and reliable the hold was around his fingers that was felt, and how passionately Sanada could kiss people like atobe.

Atobe gestured to the seat across him and forcing to look away. "Thank you for coming, Sanada."

"I am so glad that you called me. I didn't think this would happen after I heard about what you and Echizen were doing. I thought you were already over him."

"Let's get one thing straight, Sanada: I couldn't call you because I am still in a relationship with that Echizen brat. Second, I never wanted you back in my love life." He said as he turned to look at the window instead of Sanada.

"Then why did you call me? I thought I could make you my substitute lover."

"I cannot do it." Said Atobe as he cut Sanada off. "You cannot be my substitute for someone else even though I will be alone for the rest of my life. I cannot get back together with you just because you can't have the one you really want."

"I know that. And I admit, it was a one night stand with you because I wouldn't dare ask you to do this a second time." Answered Sanada.

"But you did before." Said Atobe as he swallowed.

"Yes, I was over Echizen but he still follows me around." Sanada's words were almost rushed, and he refused to look at him. Yes, it was a lie and Atobe can see it in his eyes since a character like Sanada could never lie to your face; he would rather be cruel and truthful instead of acting kindly. "I still think about you and I miss you. We were good together and I think I could make things better. Just do not think about Echizen anymore. Just let me lead a better life with you."

"Don't do this to me, Sanada. Don't get my hopes up either because I cannot take anymore hurt from you." Said Atobe. He was tempted to accept the lover that he has right now and leaving the relationship of Sanada to Yukimura since this was less risky. After all, getting back together with Echizen would not guarantee that it would last long.

Just then, Sanada reached out across the table, took his hand and held onto Atobe's. He could feel a shock of electricity at the contact as he panicked. "I'm serious about getting back together with you, Atobe." Said Sanada as he leaned over the table and pulled his boyfriend closer for a kiss.

However, the kiss was short lived as a tennis racquet was smacked against Sanada's face, causing him to be pushed back onto the seat.

"Echizen! What the hell?" shouted Sanada."

"I thought I made it clear for you to stay away from him!" said Echizen as he glared at Sanada as he pressed the racquet close towards Atobe's face.

Atobe immediately took the racquet and pulled Echizen towards towards him. "What are you doing here, Echizen? Are you stalking me?"

"Well, how else can I keep you from dating?" said Echizen as he glared at him with his face flushed.

"This is not a date!"

"You were just about to kiss your ex-boyfriend! How is that not a date?" Echizen demanded to know.

"That wasn't—" Atobe clenched his jaw and finally shouted, "I was not planning on it!"

"Were you just screwing around with me last night?" seethed Echizen. "That kiss meant everything to me, you arrogant prick!"

"It meant something to me as well!" shouted Atobe. He lost control of his temper and was frustrated. "Why can't you trust me just this once?"

"Because you are going around kissing other people and not me!"

Atobe growled and took Echizen by his shoulders and shook him. "How do you know that I will not pull back? Maybe kissing him will make sure that he does not exist?"

Echizen growled back and threw his arms around Atobe's neck and pulled him down to what could be the angriest, unskilled and painful kiss that atobe has ever gotten. Despite that, their foreheads are bumping into each other with a loud crack. Atobe was certain that Echizen got his lip cut on atobe's teeth since the blood was anything to go by. Echizen refused to let go of Atobe until he finally flung around the kid and responded in kind.

After that, Echizen finally pulled back and smirked arrogantly. "Now, do you feel like kissing him?"

Atobe almost forgot the reason why he was here and looked at Sanada who was staring at them with his mouth opening. He then grinned and looked at the boy in his arms and answered, "No, I don't." Furthermore, Echizen was ridiculously childish.

"From now own, if you feel like kissing someone, kiss me first." Said Echizen. "If you still feel like kissing someone else after that, I'll smack you until you are black and blue."

Atobe snorted and was amused at that remark before he took his arms from around Ryoma and pulled him out of the restaurant. "That sounds like a logical plan to me."

Sanada on the other hand shrugged and decided to follow them. "Wait up guys, I'm sorry for stealing you away like this. I was hoping that I could convince you to stop having a love relationship with Echizen but it seems that was not working. Somehow, Yukimura convinced me to try and get all the boys to fall for me, but it seems many of them are already taken."

"Its fine, Sanada-sempai. No hard feelings. But Yukimura is still a sadist in my book. Besides, I am perfectly fine with having more than one lover since you are over Atobe." Grinned Echizen.

"Ryoma! Was that really necessary? Why do you want two boyfriends?" growled Atobe.

"A love triangle or a square is definitely necessary because it is time for me to make my move." Grrinned Ryoma.

"Okay, I see where this is going. You are saying that you want more than one lover falling for you instead of just me, is that it?" continued Atobe.

"That's exactly right." Smiled Ryoma.

"You are one cheeky bastard, you know that?" said Atobe with an evil glint in his eyes.

"That's how I am." said Ryoma as they left the cafeteria.

Sanada looked at them and shook his head. He had no idea what he could say to Yukimura after what Ryoma had mentioned earlier, but this was certainly going to make the headlines. As he headed home, he realized that his lover was not Atobe but rather Yukimura since only he can set the vice-captain straight because he has the ability to sense love wherever it might be.

The next night, Ryoma decided to pay Atobe a visit and was shocked to see a slightly overweight woman in her sixties with a spotless white apron opening the door even before he rang the doorbell. She didn't look anything like keigo's mother since he can easily compare the picture Keigo had shown him earlier. Keigo's father had dark brown eyes and hair while his mother was an elegant woman with brown hair and blue eyes.

"Yes, can I help you?" asked the woman in the apron.

"I'm here to see keigo." Said Ryoma. He wanted to make sure he didn't have the wrong house and that it looked exactly like the mansion that he was coming to every Saturday.

"And your name?" asked the woman

"Echizen Ryoma." He said nervously.

"I can see why our young master has been falling for you so much. Follow me please." Said the woman after she nodded her head.

Ryoma immediately took off his shoes and changed into house slippers before following the woman into the living room doorway. She then stopped to announce to the woman, "Ryoma is here to see keigo Atobe."

"Thank you, mioka-san." Said the clear, pleasant voice.

Mioka bowed slightly and disappeared into the kitchen before giving Ryoma a quick encouraging smile as she passed him. Ryoma then looked around the living room and noticed a woman that matched the picture that Keigo had shown him. She was sitting on the couch knitting and smiled when she saw Ryoma. "Well, Ryoma-kun, this is quite a surprise. You are everything that Keigo told me you were. To me, I was quite impressed that my son has found a lover like you. After all, it takes a special kind of boy to keep Keigo's interest at bay." Ryoma was too shocked to answer that question. "Keigo is upstairs in his room with his friends and I am sure you know where he is."

"Of course." Said ryoma as he bowed quickly and fled towards Keigo's room. He entered without knocking just like keigo always did when he came to see him. And he did wish he could have knocked because keigo was standing in front of the mirror while holding a dress in front of him. There were more on the bed as well in different colors.

"Excuse me, is my boyfriend here, ma'am?" he asked the red haired acrobat player.

Yuushi gulped at that remark and pretended not to notice while Gakuto vein popped.

"Very funny, brat." Said Atobe as he threw the dress onto his bed before picking up another one from the pile. "My cousin asked me to pick out a dress for her because of my supreme sense of style. Furthermore, since we have the same coloring, what suits me will suit her."

"You are seriously not going to wear them, are you?"

"Of course not. But I will not put ip a fight if you try one of them. There is a little black dress that would look gorgeous on you." Smirked Atobe.

"Screw you Keigo." Said Ryoma. "I hope you didn't call me here to pick out a dress for your cousin."

"No, I want you to-" Atobe stopped talking when Ryoma's phone starting ringing to the tune of Star Wars. He took one glance at it and noticed that it was his captain calling before putting it back into his pocket.

"Aren't you going to answer?" asked Atobe

"Nah, I will call him back later." Said Ryoma.

"But Tezuka is your ex-lover." Pushed atobe

"I don't really care. Besides, if he wants a relationship, he has to earn it." Said Ryoma as he moved towards the bed and picked out a dress that looked like a fish net. Someone actually wears stuff like this? There is also a fish hook on this thing. Seriously, why is fashion such a trend these days? Never got around to reading about it."

But Ryoma didn't get an answer as he looked back at atobe, who was staring at him with an unreadable look on his face. "Keigo?" asked Ryoma.

Atobe immediately dropped the red dress on the floor and advanced towards Ryoma. He had to back away until his legs hit the bed. The diva then grabbed him by the shoulders and knocked him down on the bed before landing on top of him and kissed him passionately. Ryoma then recovered from the shock and returned the kiss.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"you don't care about getting back together with me?" murmured Atobe.

"Only because my feelings are for you, my dear. Now then, tell me who Mioka-san is." Said Ryoma.

"What? I kiss you and now you think it is a good time to ask me about our housekeeper?" huffed Atobe as he rolled off Ryoma and leaned on his elbow and smiling at him.

"you have a housekeeper?"

"not to mention a gardener and a chauffeur." Said Atobe.

"How come I never saw her before?"

"Well, you usually don't come here during the week because the servants have the weekend off. That's why my parents tend to be out of town for the weekends."

"So, they just leave you here all by yourself? How come you never go on vacations with them?" ryoma said as he looked at him.

"I used to, but I am too pre-occupied with school."

"I see. But still, it must be nice for you to keep your friends company like this. I could seriously consider joining Hyotei after all this time of waiting." Said Ryoma.

"That's true and- Excuse me? Did you say you wanted to join Hyotei?" asked Atobe with a shocked look on his face.

"Yup, it's finally time that I left Seigaku because all they do is just giving me their disgusting drinks that Inui has. Nothing ever good comes out of that vile concoction. Frankly, I think Inui and renji must be cooking something special as punishment later on. Anyway, about your parents, I think they know that we are in love." Said Ryoma.

"Of course they do. I told them about us."

"oh." Mouthed ryoma as he turned to look at Gakuto and Yuushi for a moment and hoping to get a response out of them.

"What? What do you want me to say? Of course every one of us knows you can't leave Atobe alone." Said Gakuto as he crossed his arms.

"My partner is right. You admitted your love for that prima donna." Said oshitari as he earned a glare from Atobe.

"Anyway, I was asked why I wasn't coming with them to their weekend trips and I told them that my relationship with you was very important. And surprisingly, they took it pretty well. How about your parents?"

"aaah… my parents?" cringed Ryoma. "You mean I should have told them?"

"you haven't?" shouted Atobe. "What the hell are you waiting for, an engagement ring?"

"Don't be an idiot!" said Ryoma. "It just never really came up."  
"But you are going to tell them right?"

"Yes of course."

"Do you want me to call them right now and tell them about our love relationship?" said Ryoma as he picked up the phone. But Atobe grabbed the back of Ryoma's shirt and pulled him back on the bed.

"Now who is being an idiot?" asked aatbe as he smothered Ryoma with another kiss. "mom you locked the door right?" he asked while unzipping Ryoma's pants.

"Darling, does you boyfriend want to stay for dinner? Maybe I should have knocked?" said Keigo's mother as she saw the boy utting his hands down Ryoma's pants.

"Monkey King! Do you not have a sense of privacy? Get your hands out of my pants, you pervert. You r mom is watching us." Said Ryoma.

"Ore-sama reminds you to stop calling me that." Said Atobe as he placed his hands on the boy's shoulder while Gakuto was laughing his ass off at that scene.

"I wish I could stay for dinner, but I need to let my family know first about our love together." Said Ryoma.

"Of course, you have all the time you need." Said Atobe.

With that, Ryoma got up and left the room and then took out his phone to contact Tezuka.

"Buchou, you wanted something?"

"Nothing important." Answered Tezuka. "Just so you know that some of the new indoor courts that you wanted to play in for the winter needs to be reserved in advance."

"Shit! Are you anywhere in town, Buchou?"

"Almost there. I could reserve a few times for you." Suggested Tezuka.

"That's fine. I got nothing better to do either."

"Oh? Since you didn't pick up earlier. I thought you'd be at Atobe's house."

"Yes, I am. But his mother kind of well wanted me to stay for dinner. But I am not ready to meet the family just yet, and especially not with my pants down." Whined Ryoma.

"I see." Said Tezuka. Ryoma could hear that the voice was getting to be very uncomfortable, even if it was distorted through the phone. "I shall wait for you outside then."

"Yes, see you." Said Ryoma as he headed towards the sports-center where the indoor courts are located. He then found Tezuka standing next to the fountain, but he was not alone, he could see Momo grinning and waving at him.

"Momo-sempai." Said Ryoma. "Why are you here?"

"I asked Tezuka-buchou to get you here so that you won't have an excuse this time. So I am going to take you out on a double date with me and Ann! We set you up with someone!"

"What!?" squealed Ryoma. He took a look at Tezuka and noticed that his Buchou had an evil look in his eyes. He knew that he should have avoided Tezuka a little longer.

"I cannot come." Sputtered Ryoma.

"Why not?" asked Momo.

"I was going to play a game with my buchou." Said Ryoma. Momo knew how much he valued games with Tezuka.

"You already know that his hand is in a cast!" shouted momo. Ryoma was thinking of that too, but it was not going to be like from before. This time, he actually had a plan that worked and kikumaru was not there to glomp him or Oishi to foil his plans. Not to mention Fuji was not there to deceive his innocent smile.

"Does it have to be right now? You can do it later, right Tezuka-buchou?" Momo asked Tezuka.

One look at Tezuka, Ryoma knows that his plan was already ruined and that he will not be able to tell them about his relationship with atobe. There is also the relationship regarding Sakuno Ryuzaki that was also kept secret for a long time.

"Sure we can do it later, said Tezuka. "Please call me later, Echizen." He said before hanging up the phone.

"Buchou, where are you going!?" yelled Ryoma.

"Oh don't be shy, Echizen!" said Momo as he grabbed the boy's arm. "You already know Ryuzaki-chan and I know that she has a big crush on you. You are so daft not to notice it."

Actually, Ryoma did notice about Sakuno falling for him, but it just made him incredibly uneasy. That is the only reason why he has been avoiding the girl for the past few years since he just does not know how to deal with issues like this.

Furthermoe, Sakuno was looking at Ryoma sitting across from her. This was it! It was time for her to steal the prince's heart after he saved her from the bullies on the train. But we also have to thank Ann to arrange the date for Sakuno so that she and Ryoma could finally live happily ever after.

"Are you going to order something or not?" frowned Ryoma.

Sakuno blushed and looked at the list of the cakes the waiter had given her. "Yes, I will take some strawberry maybe?"

"Che, don't ask me. Go ahead and get what you want."

"Now that's no way to talk to your date." Momo reprimanded his friend. Ryoma just shrugged it off. As for Sakuno, she didn't mind. She has known the prince like no other since Ryoma kept a cold front to protect his sensitive soul because he was nervous.

As for Nanjiro, he was struggling with the groceries. He cursed his wife for making him do all the grocery shopping since he was not the one cooking. Even worse, the oranges spilled out from his shopping bag once again as it ran down the pavement. Just then a man in a suit stepped on one of the oranges, causing nanjiro to grab the man by his collar. But soon, he noticed that his son was sitting in a café opposite a girl since they are on a double date and it was Ryoma and the old lady's granddaughter! This was Nanjiro's chance to go home and tell his wife that Ryoma was seeing someone.

Once Ryoma got home, he was relieved that he has been able to get away from his friend after he suggested the double date. However, he was not fast enough to escape before Ann suggested that he should walk Sakuno home. This was seriously not comfortable for Ryoma since he didn't have much to say other than just saying goodbye to her when the train came. She had blushed and thanked him back.

"Oi, kid, why didn't you tell us you were dating someone?" yelled Nanjiroh as his son stepped into the kitchen.

"you mean you don't mind me dating?" asked Ryoma.

"Of course not, Ryoma. We're just happy that you finally found someone you really like." Said Rinko. "In fact, we should have a family dinner on Friday since we know each other. But it should be an official dinner."

This would definitely make Keigo happen since he was just nagging Ryoma to tell his parents about the whole date thing. And to his surprise, they already knew!

"That would be perfect." Said Ryoma. "If you would excuse me, I need to do something."

"Ah, I see you are going to see someone, eh? Ah yes, young love! It feels nice to be a kid again and walk hand in hand, stealing kisses under the Sakura trees!"

"It's in the middle of freaking October, you idiot!" snapped Ryoma. However, he was not offended at his father's attempts at painting a romantic picture.

As Ryoma returned to Atobe's mansion, the housekeeper opened the door again, but Ryoma wasn't so shocked and managed to act more courteously since he was relieved not to see the family members this time. He was told to go straight to keigo's room. When Ryoma opened the door, he noticed that his boyfriend was not standing in front of the mirror, he was doing homework while Yuushi and Gakuto were busy playing Go fish.

"Hey, Keigo-sama, My family is planning to have a dinner on Friday night, hopefully you can come." Said Ryoma.

Yuushi immediately dropped the cards on the floor while Gakuto was on the floor laughing.

"Seriously, you told them?"

"No, but they found out somehow. So, are you coming?"

"Yes, of course I am. Should I bring the wine?"

Most people wouldn't think of wine as the first thing to bring. They would rather bring cake or something else inexpensive. "You are unbelievable, you know that Monkey King?" snorted Ryoma.

"Ore-sama reminds you time and time again to call me Kiego-sama, or have you forgotten?" glared Atobe as he ruffled Ryoma's hair. "Should I also wear pink?"

"No pink!" yelled Ryoma.

"I happen to like pink." Said Atobe.

"It's too girly!"

"Is not! Pink is a very manly color."

"Yeah right! Just admit it, you like girly things just like that vanity mirror." Said Ryoma as he pointed at the mirror on the wall while Gakuto continued laughing.

"Seriously Atobe? When did you decided to wear pink?" he asked.

"It's been a tradition." He smiled. "And that mirror is a family heirloom! It once belonged to my grandmother."

"I know, I know. She brought it from France. But the thing is Keigo: that was from two years ago."

"You brat!"

"What, don't tell me you forgot to call me Ryo-chan?" smirked Ryoma as he left.

Yuushi was smirking after hearing that response from Ryoma and approached atobe before asking, "Are you really going to ensure that brat's parents about you dating him?"

"Oshitari, my friend. I've told you before; my love for that brat still stands and there is no way that Sakuno can take what is mine. I mean you have seen how he and that girl from Seigaku are just being friends instead of lovers? Besides, you can already tell that the brat rightfully belongs to me."

"Sure, you just stole his first kiss!" laughed Gakuto.

"Shut up! We've kissed plenty of times in the past and Ryoma didn't seem to mind at all." Snorted Atobe.

"Yeah, but still, that brat likes to ogle you on." Continued Gakuto.

Atobe was thinking of something to retort until his watch tells him that it was time to get ready for the special event that he was waiting for. Withing a few minutes, he packed everything up and headed out the door towards the limo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's notes: So sorry for the late update. I was packing for a family trip to Atlanta, GA and I didn't have much time to finish this. But the next chapter will definitely have the conclusion, I promise you. Besides, I can tell that atobe still has it for that brat and not Sakuno since he did admit that the girl was just a mutual friend because everyone else at Seigaku still thinks that Ryoma was going out with her when it is pretty obvious that Ryoma does not show his feelings towards Sakuno. Anyway, I will see you guys next time for the ending of this story.


	45. True Love Conquers All: Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teacher: Who has all the rights to Prince of Tennis?
> 
> Students: Konomi –Sensei of ocurse! The Person writing this will not own the series whatsoever!

Technically, the event that Atobe went to had gone smoothly after all since everything he did was for the sake of the that brat even when the time is coming for them both to make a move. Unfortunately, Yukimura, Sanada, Fuji, and Tezuka are also making their plans to seduce the brat because this wasn't just a date between Ryoma and the diva of Hyotei; it would be date with all five teens. Not even Echizen himself would be able to cope with them all yet.

That night, Sanada was still pondering why he couldn't get closer to Echizen. Was it because Atobe couldn't let the vice-captain know about his true feelings for the brat? Or was it something that was holding the diva back? Either way, Sanada was certain to get to the bottom of this and win Echizen's heart for himself even if he has to use force. The next day at practice, everyone was pretty much working on their swings while Sanada himself was pacing around the tennis courts like a maniac.

"Oi, Fuku-buchou, is something going on between you and that brat?" asked Akaya.

"His chances of falling for that kid from Seigaku is only 80 percent at best since he has chosen that narcissistic diva to have romantic feelings with." Added Yanagi.

As Sanada continued pacing, he then looked up at his fellow teammates and said, "Tarundoru! My feelings for that brat should be zero percent at best, not 80 percent. I think your calculations are way off, Renji! Furthermore, that brat broke up the relationship between me and Atobe since he feels that I am not that guy's type. If anything, Ryoma's feelings for me are not compatible."

"Are you sure about that? You and that brat together as a couple? There is no way he would fall for you right now. Do you not realize that Atobe-sama will never let that brat go no matter what he does?" said Hiroshi.

"Puri! Even Yukimura-buchou is thinking the same thing, but I think his face is turning red now." Said the trickster as he pointed at the captain.

Sanada immediately turned around and walked towards the captain and the child of God and asked him, "Yukimura, do you think that I have feelings for Ryoma?"

The captain looked at him for a moment and smiled gently, "Gen-chan, I think you got higher chances to fall for that little kid. As for me, I think I am already starting to have feelings for that little cousin of mine so you should do the favor of showing him what a true romantic kiss looks like."

Sanada looked at him with a flushed look on his face, "Yukimura! I will do no such thing! Me and the brat are just friends after all. There is no way I will give away my romantic feelings for him and…."

He was cut off by that sentence as a deadly blue aura emitted from the Rikkai buchou since his voice was a don't-you-defy-my-orders-or –else look. The other regulars were laughing at him because something was making the fuku-buchou swooning for the brat. In fact, Yukimura was also more than just a tennis maniac; he was the child of god that can see everything happening around the courts, even when there is a romantic relationship going on with Ryoma Echizen. "Saa, Gen-chan, you just can't seem to show your true love for a kid and yet I have the ability to do so. In fact, I could just call Echizen up right now and show him what seduction is really like." He said while smiling like a devil.

"Sadist!" thought Genichirou as he resumed practice. He was going to be slapping people later on.

Back at seigaku, practice was resuming as usual as Echizen continued using his moves that he learned throughout middle school and high school. His own teammates were impressed at how well the boy had progressed since they feel that as long as he is the pillar of Seigaku, he could take on practically anyone and go pro later on. Unfortunately for him, the little romance drama was not even over as Momo and Eiji wouldn't stop teasing him about his love affairs since they have been pestering him all day about it. Even Oishi was unable to control his doubles partner since Echizen's love affairs should be kept private. Unfortunately, the rumors were spreading like wildfire as Inui continued keeping tabs on the kid.

"Ochibi, tell us if you are really falling for that narcissistic bastard and not with Sakuno." Said Eiji as he mischievously grinned.

"Sakuno and I have no love relationship, Kikumaru-sempai! We are just mutual friends." Sighed Ryoma as he tried to pry himself off from Eiji's hold.

"Really? That's not what I heard from your old man. It seems that his sources tells you are romantically involved with Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter. So just admit it." Said Momo.

He always pushed that kind of romance aside since he was more focused on tennis instead of just love(with the exception of his Himalayan cat) Though he was often egged on by his baka oyaji and Takeshi Momo to be romantically involved with Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter, he refused to show his true love for her since she was tolerable to be around him instead of that loud mouthed friend Tomoka. Sakuno was endearing and lacked something.

"Will you guys cut it out!? There is no relationship between me and Sakuno. All I do is just teach her tennis and that is it, nothing else! I am a guy and my relationship is with boys that are older than me, do you understand?" protested Ryoma.

"Saa! Echizen, do you really now?" said the Genius of Seigaku. At first, Ryoma felt nothing towards his seniors since he was just creepy with that smile of his. But after a few practice matches with him, Ryoma feels that Fuji was too sweet and kind. He truly deserved that nickname because of his light-brown hair swaying gently whenever a breeze was around.

"F-Fuji-sempai, what are you doing here?" asked Ryoma as he cringed nervously.

"You are obviously in love with me and four other guys, aren't you? Oh Ryoma, you devil! I never knew you felt that way about me." Smiled Fuji.

Momo and Eiji snickered quietly to themselves. "Good luck getting out of this one, ochibi!" they said as they resumed practice.

"What are you talking about, Fuji-sempai? Did you overdose on Inui's juices yet again?" said Ryoma.

"No, what makes you think that? You are romantically involved with me and Tezuka and yet you can't admit it. I think I was right when your mom made you watch those romance flicks on television. Your emotions are suffocating, aren't they?"

Ryoma tried to brush it off. Unfortunately, he was indeed in love with Syuusuke fuji no matter how much he tries to deny it.

His own captain also caught the boy in his eyes since he was a strong and devoted man. His presence on the court was awesome since the words out of his mouth could silence an entire auditorium. His tennis was on the national level and he was too cool. That was the only thing Ryoma would know when he first met the captain. He didn't know much about him until the tennis tournament started. The butterflies in his stomach started fluttering again.

"My emotions are perfectly fine, Fuji-sempai. Tell me, are you really sure that I am in love with you and tezuka?"

"Of course you are. Do you really need help with romance right now? In fact, I just happened to let yukimura know about it since he has told his teammates about your little love troubles. What do you say we meet up after school and talk about it?" said Fuji

Ryoma's face was red as a tomato as he desperately tried to say no, but sighed. "Fine, but this cannot go towards the others. Enough people know about it as it is!"

"Saa.. Sure, you are obviously developing a fetish over the third years and yet you haven't admitted it after so many months? Its time that we gave you the true meaning of love and you must learn to confess them in front of everyone at the street courts tonight." Continued Fuji as he leaned over and kissed Echizen on the forehead.

The others were watching in shock at what just happened. Fuji just kissed Ryoma. This was the beginning of his confession for love. The tensions were just too much for him to handle. He then looked over at his teammates and was unable to say anything. Those butterflies are really bugging him. But he was already excited over his evolved tennis due to the heart racing and the adrenaline rushing inside of him.

Ryoma was hoping that this was going to be a one-time thing, a little spur of the moment, but it didn't seem to help him much when Sanada himself started calling Ryoma's number after school.

"I heard that you are in a pickle right now and are unable to find out who you really love. So if you want to make a confession tonight, I will definitely meet you at the street courts with my team. Don't be late!" said Sanada.

It was those butterfly sensations again. Ryoma immediately nodded his head and agreed to meet with the Rikkai emperor. There was nothing that could stop his feelings for the captains. He then immediately texted his number to Sanada before realized that he was trapped in a five over one love affair. This was three seniors; all of them are male and are older than him. Yes, they also have superior tennis skills.

Ryoma was truly starting to believe that he might be a homosexual with a tennis fetish as his dad stated. He didn't even know what that means. But as his relationship with all three teens continued, it could possibly evolve into where he wanted it. He also found the opportunity to return to America to further grow his tennis skills. At times, he was dreaming of his lovers and his friends when he tried to sleep on late summer nights.

Really, he was starting to see all three of them no matter where he went. His return to japan and unintended role to play singles at Nationals helped nothing at all. He was having enough trouble with keigo and now three more overbearing 3rd-years are adding more fuel to the fire. Honestly, he was feeling like a cheating whore.

All those advice from his best friend kevin smith may not have helped him in the States since he was the one that taught him the meaning of fetish. What really mattered was that Ryoma had developed a butterfly sensation for Atobe(Ryoma couldn't help himself since the older boy had this powerful aura that just pulled him like a Tezuka-Zone) just like the other three. There was no turning back with what he couldn't control. Surprisingly, Ryoma was dreaming of Atobe even after the nationals.

Now, he was really in a bind.

All five teens were charming in their own special ways, but Ryoma couldn't just pick one now. No, he must now date four people at the same time, Fuji, with his gentle and mysterious character. Tezuka, with his quiet and reserved nature, Sanada, with his strong and determined spirit, and Atobe, with his alluring and controlling aura.

Before Ryoma could even think those choices over, there was one more person that gave him the cursed butterfly sensations.

Seiichi Yukimura. The child of god, the near perfect beautiful, angelic Seiichi yukimura.

Yes, he had this terrifying ability that took away his opponent's five senses. Luckily, Ryoma was able to attain the pinnacle of perfection. As with Fuji and the others, something stirred within Ryoma as he played against Yukimura.

As they played, Ryoma couldn't help but be awed by Yukimura's beautiful form whenever he was swinging the racket or serving a ball. He tried to shake the feelings off once the match was over, telling himself that it was just physical attraction. Yukimura still had this certain aura to him since he was strong, proud, dignified and gentle. But something about him told Ryoma that despite his frail appearance, he was able to break the toughest man into a puddle of tears.

Later that night, Ryoma got a text from the child of god. At first the first year was confused as to how the Rikkai captain got a hold of his number. But after a moment of thought, he recalled giving his number to Sanada since he started falling for him and even asking him out on a date which he hasn't done so yet.

Now it's all five teens.

All five attractive teens are charming in their own way and they each possess amazing tennis skills. But he wasn't going to fall for whoever he could play on par with him in tennis. For example, Kintarou Tooyama was able to play on equal terms with him and reach a tie. But Ryoma never fell in love with him.

There was something about the five teenagers that really pulled Ryoma. He couldn't control his desires and when he felt those sensations, he knew that he couldn't possibly stop those strange feelings from starting. The worst part was that Ryoma just couldn't choose to spend the night with yet. He didn't really know and Ryoma was not the picky sort of person. Now, he really started to think about how on earth love was the most romanticized emotion because it was only going to make himself want to tear apart.

Second of all, Ryoma wasn't sure if any of his love interests truly liked him back. The only ones that really showed any signs of love was the Rikkai pair. Even thenm, Ryoma wasn't sure if they are just trying to be friendly or genuinely romantic. He tried not to care about this and if not liking any of them would break his heart, he would go back to America empty handed.

So after thinking about this for hours, Ryoma finally reached a solution. He called each of the teens and invited them out to the public tennis courts and they were to come around 9:45 pm with their teammates. After they all agreed, he got dressed into casual wear and made his way to the courts. Once there, he was pleasantly surprised to see Fuji, Tezuka, and Atobe with their respective teammates.

"Oi brat, what's this all about? Why is the Seigaku's genius over here?" demanded Atobe.

Ryoma didn't reply but only said, "Just wait, it's a special surprise. Puri!" he then checked his watch as he waited for Sanada and Yukimura to show up with their teammates since he made sure to call them earlier. They are all the way in Kanagawa.

While Atobe stopped pestering Ryoma, he decided to go after tezuka while Fuji made his way to Ryoma's side and gave him a small smile before asking, "Ryo-kun, is something bothering you?"

"Kind of, but its okay, I am here to fix everything." Replied Ryoma as he looked at his sempai with sincere eyes.

Fuji smiled at him happily and was pleased with Ryoma's subtle and satisfying answer. "Good, I wouldn't want my adorable little kouhai to be feeling uncomfortable under any circumstances since today is your big decision on who to fall in love with."

Ryoma couldn't help but grin. There was another thing that Ryoma liked about Fuji and that was his natural kindness.

A little bit later, Yukimura and Sanada arrived with their teammates since he was in casual wear while Sanada was in his tennis wear. He was probably believing that they would play tennis, but this wasn't the case. When Sanada realized this, he looked at Ryoma for some answers and ryoma couldonly reply with a wait and see. In reality, he never asked for a tennis match, he just wanted them to come.

"What did you need, Echizen-kun? This is quite a huge crowd here." Mused Yukimura.

"Looks like that brat is preparing for a sermon or something." Grinned Akaya.

"Akaya, remind me to give you 40 laps when this is over." Said Sanada. He then turned to Ryoma. "Have you finally reached your decision?"

"WAHHH! Fuku-buchou is so mean!" screamed Akaya.

"So, the brat finally has made his choice as to who he is going to fall in love with? This should be interesting." Said gakuto.

"Indeed. We are going to have to throw a big party at the mansion later on." Added Shishido.

Ryoma then cleared his throat as he stood in the center with all five captains at his side. Then, he spoke. "Sempai-tachis, I have a confession to make. I have fallen in love with all of you. I know I didn't mention this earlier because falling in love with just one person would not satisfy me at all. Falling for five of you guys will make my life a whole lot easier."

Then, silence and gasps could be heard from the crowd.

Then a second later, there were laughter and awws heard from all the school mates. Even eiji and Momo were both crying anime tears at Ryoma while Oishi was doing his best to comfort them. Yuushi tried his best not to laugh as he adjusted his glasses before turning his attention towards his doubles partner. And everyone else were blushing furiously at Ryoma's response.

"So this is what he called us here for? I thought he was going to start a karaoke club." Said Marui as he blew a bubble.

"That boy sure knows how to pick them." Added Choutaro

"Gekokujyou" was the only reply heard from Hiyoshi.

Soon, Fuji's soft laughter could be heard since Ryoma was annoyed that Fuji might be taking this as a joke. But to Ryoma's surprise , he didn't say that it was a joke he just smiled at his kouhai. "It's about time you confessed. I was beginning to think you would never admit it."

"Is that why you kept us waiting all this time, Echizen?" added tezuka as he nodded.

"So you finally admitted your true feelings for ore-sama? I am not surprised. Everyone just cannot resist my fabulous charms, you know."

More laughter could be heard.

"You're shitting me, who the hell would fall for a lame captain like Atobe?" grumbled Shishido. But he was elbowed by his doubles partner.

"Shishido-san! This is Ryoma we are talking about here. If the captain hears you, you might get more harsh training for tomorrow." Said Choutaro.

"He's beyond help." Sighed Yuushi.

Sanada didn't say anything as he looked over at Yukimura, who smiled gently at the boy. "Echizen-kun… I'm glad that you have finally come to terms with your feelings. It would have been a shame if you returned to America without admitting anything to us. I know it must be hard for you to say it out loud, but we support your decisions all the way."

Ryoma was frowning, "Wait a minute… so you all knew about my confession? And you never said a word about it?"

"Of course we knew, Ryo-baby. We just wanted you to sort it out on your own first." Nodded Fuji. He walked over to him and sets his hands on the boy's shoulders. "You can't hide things from your sempai."

Ryoma was nodding with a pout on his face. "I don't know who is more important here."

"We know that. So here is our response." Said Fuji as he leaned down to the 1st year;'s height and pecked Ryoma's lips softly. Afterwards, Fuji gently pushed Ryoma into Tezuka's arms. Ryoma was too shocked to say anything and tried to pull away but was kissed gently by his captain.

Everyone else was shocked at the sight of their captains. Even Momo and Eiji couldn't control their laughter either.

"Such baby kisses." Commented Atobe. He then grabbed Ryoma's wrist and pulled the boy towards him before kissing Ryoma on the lips a little more roughly and passionately than Fuji and Tezuka had. This one was filled with more love.

Atobe's kiss seemed to have lasted forever until he finally pulled away with a satisfied smirk on his face. "Well? How amazing was that?" he said. Ryoma had no time to reply as he was pushed into Sanada.

This wasn't the first time that Sanada has ever kissed someone because it was no secret that he and Yukimura had a thing for each other. However, Sanada leaned down and gave Ryoma the quickest peck on the lips before pulling away.

His teammates started laughing like crazy at the fuku buchou since they felt that kiss was just too lame.

"Oh come now, Sanada. That was the worst kiss ever." Said Atobe. Sanada immediately glared at him and his teammates before trying to say anything.

"Tarundoru! A kiss is a kiss!" he retorted fiercely.

"Sanada, Don't you like Echizen-kun?" cooed yukimura. That immediately shut Sanada up as a red-pink tint appeared on his cheeks as he leaned down once more and giving Ryoma a second kiss. This time, it was longer and sweeter too. Ryoma was feeling some sort of a strange warmth. Once Sanada pulled away againm he gave Yukimura a short nod. The child of god smiled back at Sanada in response before pulling Ryoma towards him and held the boy lovingly in his arms. "Ryoma, I love you too."

With that said, Yukimura bent forward slowly and gave him a final kiss. It was sweet and could last for an eternity. Once everyone was done, ryoma stumnbled several steps back and realized that he was kissed by all five boys.

Ryoma stared at his lovers incredulously, flabbergasted by the kisses he received from each of them. This was some sort of a dream that he was having. This couldn't be happening, could it?

"Hahahahaha! That brat actually admitted his feelings for our captains! Oh that dog. Look, his face is red like a tomato. Let me get a photo of this. He is too cute!" sighed akaya. This made Ryoma turn even more scarlet red.

"I,….I…. But…"

"Ore-sama has to admit, a six-some sounds really odd, but if it is with you plebians, then he will not mind." Said atobe as he smirked. "take the compliment with grace. My compliments don't come too often."

"So now, it seems that we are all going to date the little baby. How fun!" said yukimura. He then turned towards the raven haired kid and said, "Ryoma, don't stay in America for too long. We will get lonely without you around here. Even if we do have each other, just make sure you write to us more often."

"I will. Besides, what would a six-some be without you guys?" replied Ryoma.

"Oh, I got a cute name for Ryoma." Said Fuji. "We shall call him Ryo-baby!"

Ryoma immediately glared at Fuji and couldn't keep it. "I don't really mind, but since I confessed to you guys, I think your teammates are satisfied now."

"I am not calling Echizen Ryo-baby." Stated tezuka flatly.

Even Sanada agreed that such a name would taint the reputation of Rikkaidai.

Ryoma could care less though. All that matters is that he was going to be able to fall in love with all five boys at once, He smiled ecstatically and covered his face with his cap. "Mada Mada dane, Fuji sempai."

"What does that even mean?" said Fuji as he pouted.

"It means what it means." Replied yukimura. He then stepped up towards the boy and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders. "Ryo-baby, before we go home, how about you kiss us all good night?"

"What? N-no way! You guys already kissed me so isn't that enough?" said Ryoma incredulously.

Yukimura frowned at him and pinched the boy's cheeks. "that's not fair. We kissed you so now it is your turn to return the favor. That is the least you can do after calling us out here so late."

"No way!"

"But Ryo-baby…"

"No!"

"Please do it for your boyfriend?"

"Fine" sighed Ryoma as he turned around to let Yukimura lean down on him. He then pecked at the older boy's cheek before stalking off to Sanada and did the same thing. After he kissed all five of the boys, he said to them, "There, are you all satisfied now?"

Everyone else continued laughing. "Ochibi sure knows how to return the favor." Said eiji.

"True love conquers all, you know?" added Yagyuu

"Puri! Ryo-baby will have a lot of things to do on his hands." Stated Niou.

"Bunta-chan, do you know what this means? It means that brat finally showed his true calling for our captains. Besides, I could get used to kissing you in your bed." Said Jirou happily as he hugged his friend tightly.

"Jirou, seriously? What about all the valentine's day cards I sent to you?" asked Marui.

"I still have them in my house, but I would rather spend it with you!" laughed Jirou.

Akaya laughed like crazy at the couple standing beside him.

Sanada and the others looked at Ryoma for a moment before he said, "Yes, we are all satisfied. So, you want to sleep on the same bed with us?"

"EHHHHH!? Asked a shocked Ryoma as he stared at the five of them.

"Do it, Ochibi, please!" shouted Eiji.

"That brat is really risking his chastity." Added gakuto.

"Romance is in the air for that brat. It looks like I might have to confess my feelings for him as well." Thought Yuushi to himself.

Ryoma looked at them for a moment and said, "I could care less, but if it is with the five of you, I am all for it." He said to them. The gaze never left the boys as Ryoma continued to wonder how this miracle happened. He could seriously feel those butterflies coming back to him. But now, it seems that Ryoma finally learned what it means to return his feelings for the boys since he was reluctant to admit it at first. But now, he finally accepted true love and was planning to use it to his advantage at atobe's mansion later on. Ryoma feels that this was not going to be so bad after all.

Kudos to you Ryoma for finally admitting your true love to all five boys!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's notes: Well, that will conclude Hyotei's first date. I have to admit, this was the longest novel that I have ever written so far since I had to add in the other boys here. I mean if Ryoma was going to love one guy, he has to love everyone equally. Besides, I do believe that Atobe and the others have returned their feelings long since they first met the boy. Yes I know I didn't include much of their backstory, but this time, I can see that Ryoma will have a lot to do with the regulars at other schools. In the meantime, please read and review and I would welcome any responses from you guys with how I did with this story. Thank you for tuning in each and every week for this story. Over and out!


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